Liugei Hall in Tongli

Tongli Liugei Hall

Liugei Hall (No. 35 Fuguan Street) (including Shijian Hall, Dunhou Hall, and the Wang Shaofu Memorial Hall within it)

It is situated in the middle section of Nanqigan, facing south toward the river. Built in the late Qing Dynasty, it has a total of 156 rooms, covering a land area of 5,157 square meters and a construction area of 3,051 square meters. The building consists of three groups of houses. Each group of old residences is separated by a service alley (备弄), and all the homeowners share the surname Wang. Locals in Tongli collectively refer to the three service alleys as the “Three Wang Alleys.”

Each group consists of six courtyards. The eastern group of houses was originally the residence of He Yuan, who served as the Right Provincial Administration Commissioner of Jiangxi during the Ming Dynasty’s Zhengtong era (1436–1449), and was called “Yilaotang” (Hall of the Retired Elder). It was later purchased by Wang Youqing, a recluse living in the countryside, and renamed “Shijian Hall” (Hall of Frugality). The middle house is called “Dunhou Hall” (Hall of Sincerity and Kindness), which originated during the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty. Among them, the fifth courtyard hall has a total width of 17.85 meters, a depth of 10.63 meters, and a height of 5.21 meters. Opposite it stands a surviving gate tower inscribed with four characters: “Zhonghou Yimou” (Loyalty and Kindness Bring Good Planning). The western group of houses was initially established as Liugei Hall by Wang Wenqi, a successful candidate in the imperial examination (Juren) in the 50th year of Kangxi (1711). Successive generations of scholars also resided here, including Wang Shiyan, a Juren of the 1729 Gengyou examination; Wang Bao, a Juren of the 1756 Bingzi examination; and Wang Kun (style name Zhenbo, alias Cuiting), a Juren of the 1756 Jiawu examination, a Jinshi (advanced scholar) of the 1780 Jiayou examination under Dai Heng's list, and appointed as the Judicial Commissioner of Zhejiang in 1799 (the 4th year of the Jiaqing reign).

Liugei Hall was the former residence of the renowned modern social activist Wang Shaofu (1888–1970). Wang Shaofu was born, lived, and studied here. He had inherited property at Liugei Hall. During the Republican era, land parcels under the name Wang Kecheng were registered, covering areas of 4.13 mu and 0.56 mu. Prior to the Cultural Revolution, 17.5 rooms totaling 226 square meters were under Wang Shaofu’s name. To the west of the houses was a garden known as the Wang Family Garden. In 1970, the property was incorporated into the private housing reform (hereinafter referred to as “private reform”), and ownership was fully returned by 1980. After the return, the properties were sold in 1981 and 1984 to the Wujiang Asbestos Products Factory (also known as Wujiang New Building Materials Factory), the Wujiang Electric Machinery Factory, and the Wujiang Shipping Company, respectively. The remaining three and a half single-story rooms, totaling 72 square meters, were originally planned to be sold to Suzhou Jingqi Machinery Factory in 1989. However, they were preserved due to intervention by Wang Shaofu’s eldest son, Wang Fushi, and a public letter sent by the Central Committee of the China Democratic League to the Wujiang County Government stating, “To retain the only remaining former residence of Wang Shaofu, we do not agree to the sale.” In 2003, these three and a half rooms were co-owned by Wang Shaofu’s two sons and three daughters.

In 2008, on the 120th anniversary of Wang Shaofu’s birth, the first 21 storefront rooms of the front section of Liugei Hall were converted into the Wang Shaofu Memorial Hall and opened to the public.