Former Residence of Hong Jun and the Ancestral Hall

Former Residence of Hong Jun and the Ancestral Hall

The Former Residence of Hong Jun and the Ancestral Hall is a Suzhou Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

No. 27 and 29, Xuanqiao Lane, Pingjiang Road – Guiyin Hall was the former residence of Hong Jun, a Qing Dynasty top imperial scholar from Suzhou. Guiyin Hall was built after Hong Jun entered officialdom. The entire residence faces south and covers a total area of about 3,000 square meters. It is one of the better-preserved late Qing Dynasty residences of Suzhou top scholars in the ancient city, holding high preservation value for the study of Qing Dynasty architecture and Suzhou’s cultural history.

Parts of the former residence have been converted into the Pingjiang Celebrity Museum, showcasing the deeds and related artifacts of dozens of notable figures who were born or lived in the historic district. It also features an exhibition on China’s imperial examination system and an interactive “Gold List Success” area, allowing modern visitors to learn about history and express their own aspirations.

The entire residence can be divided into three sections:

The west section is the main axis, consisting of seven courtyards. It starts with a screen wall, followed by the entrance hall, sedan hall, flower hall, main hall, main building, upper rooms, and lower rooms. The fourth courtyard, the main hall “Guiyin Hall,” has been demolished, as have the pavilion, dry boat, rockery, and osmanthus tree in the courtyard in front of the flower hall. The main building and upper rooms are connected by wing rooms and a dry bridge, and the last courtyard, the lower rooms, leads to the back gate.

The middle section originally housed the Hong family ancestral hall, also known as the Guiyin Charitable Estate, featuring a gatehouse and an ancestral worship hall, flanked by two side halls forming a courtyard layout. The ancestral worship hall is 11 meters wide and 8.6 meters deep, with flat beams, a front boat-shaped roof, exterior bracket sets, and shallow relief carvings on the beams and rafters. Each of the two side halls has six rooms. It is currently used by the Pingjiang District Sanitation Station. The residence surrounds the ancestral hall on the west and north sides. A service alleyway runs between the west section and the ancestral hall, turning northeast at the ancestral worship hall, then north again, connecting the middle and east sections. The middle section, north of the ancestral hall, features a three-room building upfront, connected to side rooms on both east and west, followed by an additional upper room section.

The east section includes a flower hall and two courtyards of upper rooms. Sai Jinhua once lived in the fifth courtyard, the main building, of the west section when she was in Suzhou. During the Republican era, the patriotic elder statesman Mr. Zhang Yizheng resided in the upper rooms of the east section. Guiyin Hall is one of the better-preserved late Qing Dynasty residences of Suzhou top scholars in the ancient city, holding high preservation value for the study of Qing Dynasty architecture and Suzhou’s cultural history.

Hong Jun (1839–1893) was originally from She County, Anhui. His ancestors later became merchants and resided in Zhejiang under a merchant registration. By Hong Jun’s time, the family had relocated from Anhui to Suzhou, Jiangsu. As a youth, Hong Jun was once made to learn trading due to his family’s poverty. He wept bitterly and insisted on pursuing scholarly studies. He studied diligently through harsh conditions, displaying exceptional diligence. In the seventh year of the Tongzhi reign, Hong Jun earned the top rank in the imperial examinations and was appointed as a Hanlin Academy editor. In the ninth year of Tongzhi, he served as an educational intendant in Hubei and Jiangxi provinces.

In the first year of the Guangxu reign (1875), Hong Jun served as an associate examiner for the Shuntian provincial imperial examinations. The following year, he was appointed chief examiner for the Shaanxi provincial imperial examinations. In the third year of Guangxu, Hong Jun… [Hong Jun Detailed Information++]

Historic District Community: Located in the northeast part of Suzhou’s ancient city in Pingjiang District, Jiangsu Province, the Historic District Community stretches from Xiangmen River in the east to Pingjiang River in the west, and from Zhongzhangjia Lane in the south to Guanyuanjia in the north, covering a total area of 0.4 square kilometers. The community is home to over 3,400 households and more than 9,000 residents. It boasts a rich collection of cultural relics and a strong historical atmosphere, including the World Cultural Heritage site Couple’s Retreat Garden, cultural relics protection units such as the Opera Museum, Pingtan Museum, Pan Mansion, and the former residence of celebrity Tang Na. The area also retains many historic urban features such as canals, small bridges, lanes, ancient houses, memorial archways, ancient trees, and wells, all highlighting the charm of “small bridges, flowing water, and… [Historic District Community Detailed Information++]