Former Residence of Liu Yazi

Former Residence of Liu Yazi

The Former Residence of Liu Yazi is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Liu Yazi Memorial Hall is situated in Lili Ancient Town, Fenhu Town, Wujiang District, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province—a historically and culturally renowned town. It neighbors Shanghai to the east, Suzhou to the north, Zhejiang to the south, and is traversed by the Taipu River, which connects the vast Fenhulake and the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal at its eastern and western ends. National Highway 318 and the Sutongli Road crisscross the area, while the Sujiahang and Shanghai-Hangzhou expressways both have exits in Lili, making transportation extremely convenient.

The Liu Yazi Memorial Hall is an outstanding architectural structure from the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty, as well as an important modern historical site. Originally the private residence of Zhou Yuanli, the Governor-General of Zhili and Minister of Works during the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty, it was completed before 1780. The residence was named "Cifutang" and features six courtyards with a service lane extending 92.9 meters deep, covering a land area of 2,603 square meters and a building area of 2,862 square meters, with 101 natural rooms. The three surviving brick-carved gateways are grand and vivid, boasting extremely high artistic value.

In 1922, the renowned patriotic poet Liu Yazi rented this grand mansion from the Zhou family descendants, turning it into a place where he met with patriotic figures from all over, discussed national affairs, compiled the *Nanshe Collection*, and wrote patriotic poetry and essays. In May 1987, on the centenary of Liu Yazi’s birth and with the approval of the Jiangsu Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Liu Yazi Memorial Hall was established based on his former residence, now open to visitors year-round.

As a specialized museum, the Liu Yazi Memorial Hall houses a rich collection of materials related to Liu Yazi and Nanshe, serving as an important base for the preservation, research, and exhibition of their cultural relics. To better protect this cultural heritage, the building was listed as a Wujiang County Cultural Relics Protection Unit in 1980, approved as a Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit in 1982, and designated as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit by the State Council in 2006.

Combining an exquisitely classical Jiangnan residence with the legacy of a patriotic poet deeply concerned for his country and people, the Liu Yazi Memorial Hall embodies multi-layered cultural significance and historical value, leaving behind a precious cultural and spiritual legacy for future generations.

Former Residence

The residence faces south toward the river. It was originally the private home of Zhou Yuanli, the Minister of Works during the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty. The grand halls and well-preserved courtyard service lanes, along with the dragon-and-phoenix carved window frames, make No. 15 Zhongxin Street stand out among the surrounding ordinary homes. The first entrance hall features six solemn black-painted doors, with a tangerine-yellow plaque hanging centrally above that reads “Liu Yazi Memorial Hall,” inscribed with “Respectfully Inscribed by Qu Wu” at the bottom left. Opposite the entrance stands a stone tablet marking it as a “National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.”

The residence has five courtyards, each with tall, solid walls adorned with intricately crafted brick-carved gateways. The halls and rooms in each courtyard have been renovated. The fourth and fifth courtyards, rented by Liu Yazi’s mother in 1899, consist of seven floors above and below and were relocated from the family’s hometown in Dasheng Village, Fenhu. At the time, Liu Yazi was only 12 years old. Born on May 28, 1887, he spent 29 years of his life—most of his youth and early adulthood—living and fighting here from age 12 to 41. The residence also displays over 300 precious artifacts, photographs, and documents, making the house itself a historical testament to Liu Yazi’s early democratic revolutionary activities.

In the second courtyard’s tea hall, a plaque hangs centrally above the doorway, inscribed with “Former Residence of Mr. Liu Yazi” by Liao Chengzhi, former Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress. The light yellow eucalyptus wood plaque, with its deep blue, powerful regular script, commands immediate respect. Facing the central half-length statue of Liu Yazi in the second courtyard hall, inscribed by Deng Yingchao on November 20, 1985, one cannot help but deeply mourn the man whom Mao Zedong revered as a “rare phoenix among men.”

The third courtyard’s main hall displays physical samples of *The New Lili Newspaper*, founded by Liu Yazi, including special issues such as the “Education Research Special Edition.” Known as the “Beacon of the Era” and the “Gospel of the Locale,” the newspaper is one of the testimonies to Liu Yazi’s early active involvement in democratic revolution. It was co-founded in April 1923 by Liu Yazi, Mao Peicen, and nine other groups including the Lili District Education Association, officially launched on April 1, 1923, and ceased publication in February 1926 when Liu Yazi went to Shanghai to oversee the reorganization of the Kuomintang Jiangsu Provincial Party Committee. A biweekly publication with four pages per issue, it was distributed on the 1st and 16th of each month. Over nearly three years, it published 82 regular issues and 20 special/gift editions, with a peak circulation of 1,120 copies. Though modest in circulation, its reach was wide, extending overseas to the United States and Southeast Asia, and domestically to Jilin, Guangdong, Fujian, and beyond. *The New Lili Newspaper* consistently embodied a strong spirit of patriotism and bold advocacy, publishing special issues on issues like the Port Arthur-Dalian Question, marriage, and Labor Day. On May 16, 1923, it prominently covered memorial activities held by various Wujiang groups for National Humiliation Day, featuring Liu Yazi’s articles such as “Reasons for Abrogating the Twenty-One Demands and Annexed Documents” and “My Views on the Port Arthur-Dalian Question.” By the end of 1923, the newspaper published several radical articles and was briefly suspended for two months. However, upon resumption, Liu Yazi courageously published pieces like “Mourning Lenin” and “Notes from the Sun Xun and Li Lou Memorial,” praising Lenin’s “great character” and “great achievements,” and lamenting his death as a misfortune for “world progress” and “humanity.”

The third courtyard’s Cifutang gateway displays a fragmentary plaque bearing the three characters “Cifutang,” originally bestowed by Qing Dynasty Grand Secretary Ji Huang to Minister of Works Zhou Yuanli. The plaque was made of cypress, measuring 2.7 meters wide and 1.02 meters high, with the current plaque in Cifutang being a replica based on the fragment. Legend has it that Emperor Qianlong once gifted Zhou Yuanli nine “Fu” (blessing) characters, which Ji Huang turned into nine plaques, one of which was given to Zhou Yuanli. Upon returning to his hometown in glory, Zhou hung the imperial “Fu” plaque in this hall, which was then renamed Cifutang.

Cifutang later became a gathering place for Nanshe members. The hall displays a “Nanshe Special Cabinet” with photos and publications like *Nanshe*. From the pre-Nanshe Shensjiao Society in 1907 to the Nanshe Memorial Association in 1935, Nanshe existed for 28 years, with Liu Yazi leading it throughout. The cabinet exhibits 22 volumes of the *Nanshe Collection* published by Nanshe, with volumes 3–7 and 9–20 all compiled and printed by Liu Yazi. When editing, Liu received submissions in varied handwriting and paper types—some in running script, others in cursive, some on decorative stationery with elegant handwriting and seals, forming exquisite scrolls or horizontal pieces. Liu meticulously copied each manuscript in neat, uniform handwriting using standardized red draft paper (24 lines, 30 characters per line) before sending it to the typesetters, a task he personally handled. Despite the immense workload, these manuscripts preserved many handwritten works of Nanshe members, now treasured as historically significant artifacts. The hall also prominently displays Liu Yazi’s life photos, letters, writings, poetry drafts, as well as letters and inscriptions from Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Soong Ching-ling, Lu Xun, and He Xiangning.

The fifth courtyard of the Liu Yazi Residence is a grand library, with east and west wings connected to the front building, forming a characteristic Jiangnan-style corridor-accessed building. The front also features a brick-carved gateway, adorned with carvings of a phoenix amid peonies and lions playing with embroidered balls, exquisitely detailed and vivid, with the plaque inscription “Heaven-Bestowed Blessing.” Above the fifth courtyard, the east and west ends serve as storage rooms, while the other five rooms are for book collections. Behind the west-side storage room is a hidden compartment (“fubi”), accessible from the west wing to the fourth courtyard, where Liu Yazi and his wife’s bedroom was located. On the night of May 8, 1927, Chen Qun, Director of Political Affairs and Special Military Judge Advocate of the Eastern Route Army of the Nanjing Nationalist Government in Shanghai, ordered Zhang Zhen, commander of the 10th Independent Brigade stationed in Suzhou, to send a small armed squad to surround Liu Yazi’s residence in Lili. After kicking and pounding on the doors, Liu Yazi, awakened by the commotion, fled with his wife’s help from their bedroom through the wing room to the westernmost storage room in the fifth courtyard—the historically significant “fubi.”

This was Liu Yazi’s hiding place in peril. At first glance, the smooth, dark brown wooden paneling looked unremarkable. On the south side was a long wooden board; pushing it open revealed a narrow, 2.4-square-meter dimly lit secret chamber, with walls to the west and wooden panels to the east and both ends, and a small wooden door by the wall. Originally designed by the Liu family to guard against bandits or emergencies, Liu’s wife Zheng Peiyi and their maid quickly moved two short cabinets and stacked trunks to block the fubi, then had someone open the door. Suddenly, over ten armed men stormed in, brandishing Liu Yazi’s photo and searching everywhere. Some interrogated servants, others threatened Liu’s wife and children, and some even climbed onto the roof. The Liu residence spanned over 3,500 square meters with more than 100 rooms, and since Lili had no electricity at the time, the intruders failed to find Liu in the darkness. Inside the fubi, Liu heard the chaos outside and, filled with indignation, composed and inscribed 28-character verses now displayed at the fubi entrance: “Never sought wealth to rival Yang Yun and Xuan; yet my words brought death to Mi Heng. I roar and leave this world behind—yet mediocrities rise to fame.” (Yang Yun, grandson of Sima Qian, was executed for angering Emperor Xuan of Han; Mi Heng, a literary figure of the late Han, was humiliated by Cao Cao and later killed through intrigue.) Liu likened himself to those who spoke truth to power and nearly paid with their lives, while “mediocrities” referred to Chiang Kai-shek. He chose to return home, letting Chiang have his fame. Ironically, Liu’s brother-in-law Ling Guangqian was visiting that day and was mistaken for Liu Yazi due to his scholarly attire, arrested, and released three days later. Liu escaped in disguise, wearing a local fisherman’s bamboo skirt, hiring a fishing boat, and arriving in Shanghai after three days and nights.

The first floor of the fifth courtyard includes a grand inner hall (also called the Twin Hall), with summer rest rooms and the “Grinding Sword Chamber” study on the east and west sides. The grand hall serves as a reception area, while the Grinding Sword Chamber is a simple, wooden-floored room divided by elegant palace-style windows facing south, separating the space. In front of the south windows are a desk and chair, with a row of dedicated bookshelves beneath the eastern wall. The calligraphy plaque “Grinding Sword Chamber” is flanked by a couplet: “The Green Rhinoceros reincarnate as Xin Qiji; The Red-Toothed Musician reborn as Liu Tun Tian.” Penned by Liu Yazi’s Nanshe friend Fu Chungen, it cleverly embeds “Liu Qi Ji” (Liu the Rejected Warrior), referencing Liu’s former alias and his anti-Yuan Shikai struggles. Behind the windows are the summer bedrooms of the Liu family. The west side, formerly a summer rest room, now hosts an exhibition on Liu Yazi’s children, Liu Wuyi and Liu Fei. The rear corridor of the fifth courtyard displays an exhibition of the Liu family genealogy steles.

Liu Yazi (1887–1958): Originally named Weigao, courtesy name Anru, later changed to Yalu, then to Qiji, also known as Jianfan and styled Yazi. To unify his names, he eventually used Yazi. A native of Lili Town, Wujiang, Jiangsu, he founded and led Nanshe. He served as Sun Yat-sen’s secretary, a member of the Central Supervisory Committee of the Kuomintang, and director of the Shanghai Chronicles Office. After the April 12 Incident, he was wanted and fled to Japan. He returned in 1928 to oppose Chiang Kai-shek. During the War of Resistance Against Japan, he worked with Soong Ching-ling and He Xiangling on anti-Japanese democratic activities and served as... [More details on Liu Yazi]

Fenhu High-Tech Zone (Lili Town): Lili Town is located 30 kilometers southeast of Wujiang County, a well-preserved, typical Jiangnan ancient town. The town follows a “one river, two streets” layout, with mostly two-story buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties lining both sides, their shops and storefronts closely connected. Another feature is its long, sturdy revetments built entirely from jieji stone. After centuries, they remain neat and solid. Over 300 stone railings are embedded along the revetments, including exquisitely crafted elephant-trunk railings resembling seals crafted by stonemasons—both functional for mooring boats and valuable art pieces. Lili is also the hometown of the famed patriot... [More details on Fenhu High-Tech Zone (Lili Town)]

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units