Former Residence of Qin Dongyuan

Former Residence of Qin Dongyuan

The Former Residence of Qin Dongyuan is a Suzhou Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Former Residence of Qin Dongyuan, located on Beihexi Street in Pingwang Town, Wujiang District, Suzhou City, was built in the 27th year of the Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty by Qin Lanbo, an ancestor of the Qin family. The residence faces east and sits west, across the street from the Pingwang Market River. It consists of three sections in a row, with a total of 17 rooms.

The first and second sections of the residence are single-story buildings; the third section is a two-story hall, with living quarters upstairs and a main hall downstairs, paved with square bricks and featuring floor-length windows. A plaque inscribed with “Qing Shan Tang” (Hall of Celebrated Benevolence) hangs in the main hall. Extending northward between the second and third sections are three additional single-story rooms. The entire residence has many gardens, courtyards, and patios. The most eastern part features a small garden of approximately 100 square meters. Passing through a half pavilion and the entrance gate leads to a flagstone patio. In front of the single-story rooms north of the second and third sections and in front of the third-section hall are courtyards. To the southwest behind the third section is a large garden covering 450 square meters, densely planted with rare trees and exotic flowers, including around ten boxwoods and osmanthus trees over a hundred years old. Inside the residence, there is also an ancient well, with a blue stone well ring engraved with the words “Yong’an Spring” (Spring of Eternal Peace).

In 2009, the Former Residence of Qin Dongyuan was listed as part of the fifth group of Wujiang Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Units by the municipal government. It is now designated as a Suzhou Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit due to administrative division adjustments.

Pingwang Town: Located at the center of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, and Shanghai, Pingwang Town in Wujiang District lies 95 kilometers east of Shanghai, 55 kilometers west of Huzhou, 30 kilometers south of Jiaxing, and 35 kilometers north of Suzhou. National Highway 318, Provincial Highway 227, the Suzhou–Jiaxing–Hangzhou Expressway, and the Shanghai–Suzhou–Zhejiang Expressway all converge in the town. The Beijing–Hangzhou Grand Canal and the Taipu River flow through the outskirts, effectively connecting the most prosperous regions of the Yangtze River Delta, such as the Suzhou, Wuxi, and Changzhou area and the Hangzhou, Jiaxing, and Huzhou area. It serves not only as a vital land and water transportation hub for the entire East China region but also as a pearl along the “Suzhou–Hangzhou Paradise Corridor.” The town’s administrative region... More details about Pingwang Town++