Former Residence of Yuan Xuelan

Former Residence of Yuan Xuelan

The former residence of Yuan Xuelan is a cultural relic protection unit of Suzhou City.

"Twin Pagodas Shadow Garden" is located at the west end of Guantaowei Bridge in Suzhou City and was the former residence of Yuan Xuelan, a renowned poet of the Qing Dynasty. The garden-residence covers an area of over four mu and is a traditional Suzhou-style classical garden and historic home with a history of three hundred years. Standing on Guantaowei Bridge and looking into the courtyard of Yuan Xuelan’s former residence, one can see grey-tiled walls, upturned eaves, trees providing shade, and layers of courtyards.

Yuan Gong, also known as Jinglan, with the courtesy name Wenqi and the pseudonym Chunchao, lived from the Jiaqing to the Guangxu era (1803–1894). He was a native of Yuancun in Yishan Township, southeast of Suzhou City, where his family had long been established landowners with substantial property. As a youth, he studied diligently, became a student at the prefectural school, but repeatedly failed the provincial examinations. He then devoted himself to writing at home, teaching his children, and occasionally socializing with friends over poetry and wine. In the second year of the Xianfeng reign (1852), Yuan purchased an old residence by the Lengxiang Stream at Guantaowei Bridge in Wumen, which he moved into with his mother, relocating to the city. Because the garden-residence was adjacent to the Twin Pagodas to the southwest, he named it "Twin Pagodas Shadow Garden" and wrote the "Record of Twin Pagodas Shadow Garden" to document its origins. Yuan’s poetry and prose were widely celebrated and well-known throughout the region. His works such as Annals of the Seasons in Wujun, Poems on the Southern Song Palace, Bamboo Branch Songs of Gusu, and A Hundred Odes on Scenic Spots of Gusu Terrace were especially popular. His contemporaries referred to him as the “Poetic Historian” and the “Poetic Tiger.”

After Yuan’s passing, the garden-residence changed hands several times. By the end of the twentieth century, it had been divided into over sixty residential units, falling into disrepair and deteriorating over time. In 1982, the Suzhou Municipal Government designated "Twin Pagodas Shadow Garden" as a "Controlled Protected Building." In 1995, the municipal government initiated the renovation of the old neighborhood. Mr. Shi Jianhua oversaw the restoration of the "Twin Pagodas Shadow Garden," relocating residents, removing illegal structures, organizing craftsmen for repairs, dredging ponds, arranging rocks, and planting flowers and trees. Over the course of three years, the traditional garden-residence appearance of grey-tiled walls and upturned eaves was restored. Decorative plaques, couplets, tables, and chairs were also added. The garden-residence was revitalized, earning widespread acclaim. Mr. Luo Zhewen, a distinguished veteran in the fields of cultural relics and ancient architecture, visited and happily suggested using the garden as a venue for gatherings and exchanges among experts and scholars in the industry. He joyfully inscribed the nameplate "Wudu Guild Hall."

Yuan Xuelan (1804–1879), originally named Jinglan, with the courtesy name Wenqi and the pseudonym Chunchao, was a native of Yuanhe (present-day Suzhou).

According to the Republican-era Wu County Annals, Yuan Xuelan was a descendant of the "Yuan Jingchun Hermit," and his family had long resided in Yuancun, Yishan. Yuan Jingchun (1262–1306), with the courtesy name Shifu and the pseudonym Jingchun, was a Yuan Dynasty bibliophile and poet who authored the Collection of Jingchun Hall Poems (four volumes) and Jingchun Poems (one volume). Yuan Xuelan came from a well-off family. However, he was not content with his privileged background and "devoted himself solely to diligent study." At the age of 21, he became a student of Yuanhe County, and at 23, he initiated the organization of... More details on Yuan Xuelan ++