Ren’s Residence in Tieping Lane

Ren’s Residence in Tieping Lane

Ren’s Residence in Tieping Lane is a cultural heritage site protected at the municipal level in Suzhou.

Ren’s Residence in Tieping Lane, also known as Yishoutang, the former residence of Ren Daogui, is located on the north side of Ganjiang West Road, west of Leqiao on Renmin Road. Ren Daogui (1822–1906), courtesy name Lifu, also known as Xiaoyuan, and late pseudonym Jio, was a native of Yixing, Jiangsu. He served successively as county magistrate, prefect, circuit intendant, financial commissioner, judicial commissioner, governor, and Grand Canal Commissioner. In the 27th year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty (1901), he retired to Suzhou, purchased the abandoned garden of the Huizhou merchant Wang family, and began its renovation and construction.

The Ren Residence faces south and features a main architectural complex consisting of two routes with six courtyards, plus one auxiliary route on each of the east and west sides, covering a total floor area of 4,400 square meters. Originally, there was a riverside screen wall in front of the gate, with a large open space before it and entrance gates on the east and west sides, giving the complex an imposing and grand atmosphere. The main route is slightly offset to the west and includes, in sequence, the entrance hall, sedan-chair hall, main hall, and three successive inner halls along with connecting wing rooms between the front and rear sections. The sedan-chair hall has a simple beam structure using thick timber, reflecting the architectural style of the early to mid-Qing Dynasty. To the north originally stood a gate tower inscribed with the phrase “Zengrong Yiyu” (Adding Glory and Reputation), featuring exquisite brick carvings. Facing the gate tower is the main hall, titled “Yishoutang,” spanning three bays (approximately 12 meters wide), 13 meters deep, with a ridge height of 8 meters. The front two sections feature a boat-shaped roofed corridor, while the middle section has five beams with flat-style uprights. On both the east and west sides of the front corridor are doors leading to the surrounding buildings. Behind the hall are three successive five-bay inner halls, each separated by high walls forming independent sections, which also serve as firebreaks. To the west of the sedan-chair hall and the main hall are three-room flower halls both in the front and back, facing each other from north to south, connected on the east by a covered walkway, known as the symmetrical flower halls. The northern hall has round-style beams, while the southern hall uses a贡式 (tribute-style) square beam structure. Both have three interconnected halls with flipping eaves, crafted exquisitely and quite rare. South of the symmetrical flower halls is a small courtyard with rockeries and flowering plants. The eastern section of the residence originally featured a small garden with a three-bay flower hall facing south at its center. Inside the hall are intricately carved wooden screens adorned with calligraphy and paintings of famous figures from the Ming and Qing dynasties, made of yellow cypress and finely crafted. To the east is a study tower, and to the west is a boat-style pavilion. To the south of the garden, opposite the flower hall, there used to be a square pavilion that could serve as a stage for performances. The pavilion is flanked on both sides by long corridors along the walls; the western corridor connects to the side gate of the central route, while the eastern corridor turns northward and extends through the study tower. The corridor walls were originally inlaid with ten engraved stone volumes of Dong Qichang’s *Qinghui Hall Calligraphy Collection*, but unfortunately, these were lost and their whereabouts remain unknown during the Cultural Revolution. The garden is planted with a rich variety of flowers and trees, with skillfully arranged rockeries and ponds, featuring an unconventional approach to spatial design. To the north of the garden are two additional three-bay eastern wing buildings, each separated by high walls, forming self-contained sections.