Former Residence of Zhang Taiyan in Suzhou

Former Residence of Zhang Taiyan in Suzhou

The former residence of Zhang Taiyan in Suzhou is a protected cultural heritage site of Jiangsu Province.

The former residence of Zhang Taiyan is located at No. 38 Jinfan Road, Suzhou. Zhang Taiyan came to Suzhou multiple times to give lectures starting from 1932. In 1934, he purchased a modern Western-style house on Jinfan Road and settled in Suzhou, where he founded the "Zhang's Chinese Studies Lecture Association." During his time in Suzhou, as Japan intensified its invasion of China, Zhang issued multiple anti-Japanese statements and once traveled north to meet with Zhang Xueliang, urging him to send troops against the Japanese. He passed away in his residence in Suzhou in June 1936, and his coffin was temporarily placed in the air-raid shelter of Zhang’s Garden. In April 1955, the coffin was relocated and reburied at the foot of Nanping Hill by the West Lake in Hangzhou.

The former residence of Zhang Taiyan was referred to as "Zhang’s Garden" at the time. It is a Western-style garden villa with the main gate facing south at No. 8 Tiyuchang Road and the back gate facing west on Jinfan Road.

The southern front courtyard consists of two Western-style buildings, one on the north and one on the south, built in the 1930s. These were used by Zhang Taiyan for storing books, writing, receiving guests, and living. The exterior features a blend of Chinese and Western architectural styles, with exposed brick walls, green flat tiles, Roman-style pillars at the entrance, and wooden doors and windows that reflect both traditional Suzhou architecture and Western villa influences. The northern back courtyard originally housed the site of the National Studies Association, which has been demolished and replaced by five single-story houses currently inhabited by descendants of the Zhang family. A memorial tomb of Zhang Taiyan now stands there, with an inscription featuring a portrait of Zhang Taiyan painted by Zhang Daqian. [1]

In the early 1980s, an additional floor was added to both the front and rear buildings of Zhang Taiyan’s former residence. In January 2005, the Suzhou municipal government carried out a comprehensive renovation of the residence and set up the Zhang Taiyan Former Residence Exhibition Room in the south building. In 1982, the residence was designated as a cultural heritage site of Suzhou. It currently houses the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the Suzhou Municipal People's Government, the Suzhou Overseas Exchange Association, the Suzhou Overseas Chinese Activity Center, and the Zhang Taiyan Former Residence Exhibition Room.

On December 30, 2011, the former residence of Zhang Taiyan in Suzhou was listed as a protected cultural heritage site of Jiangsu Province.

Zhang Taiyan (January 12, 1869 – June 14, 1936), whose given name was Binglin, courtesy name Meishu, originally named Xuancheng, later changed his name to Jiang and styled himself Taiyan. In his early years, he also went by the aliases "Master of Gao Lan Chamber" and "Private Disciple of Liu Zijun." A native of Yuhang, Zhejiang, China, he was a democratic revolutionary, thinker, and renowned classical scholar of the late Qing and early Republican period. An eminent scholar, his research spanned philology, history, philosophy, politics, and more, and he was highly prolific in his writings.

(In 1897, he served as a contributor to the Shiwu Bao newspaper, was wanted for participating in the Reform Movement, and fled to Japan. In 1900, he cut off his queue, vowing to... More detailed information about Zhang Taiyan++)

Further reading:

· Seventh Batch of Protected Cultural Heritage Sites of Jiangsu Province