Former Residence of Chen Fuchen

Former Residence of Chen Fuchen

The former residence of Chen Fuchen is a cultural heritage site protected by Rui'an City.

The former residence of Chen Fuchen is located at No. 43, Huiwen Lane, Yuhai Subdistrict, Rui'an City. Built in the early years of the Republic of China, it faces east and is a two-story Western-style small house with a mixed brick-and-wood structure. The main building has five bays in width, spanning 16.11 meters in total, and six bays in depth, measuring 10.65 meters in total. It features a gable roof with a herringbone wooden frame and is covered with small blue tiles. The eave columns are built with bricks in the shape of sunflowers, while the interior uses wooden columns supported by square blue stone bases. There are three rooms each on the left and right wing rooms, and the rooftop balcony is connected to the front corridor of the main building to form a veranda. The entire building incorporates Western architectural patterns and techniques such as brick corbelling and arch construction, showcasing a strong European architectural style.

Chen Fuchen (1859–1917), courtesy name Jieshi, later changed to Fu, was a native of Rui'an City. Together with Chen Qiu and Song Shu, he was known as one of the "Three Outstanding Figures of Eastern Ou." He passed the imperial examination at the age of 45 and successively served as the supervisor of the “Liangguang” Dialect School, the chief councilor of the Zhejiang Advisory Council, and a professor at Peking University. He was the author of numerous works, including A General History of China, General Explanations of the Hundred Schools of Thought, Elucidations on Laozi, and A History of Chinese Philosophy.

Source: Wenzhou Museum

Chen Fuchen (1859–1917), courtesy name Jieshi, later changed his name to Fu in his later years, was a native of Rui'an. Beginning in 1879 (the fifth year of the Guangxu reign during the Qing Dynasty), he taught at academies for 20 years, cultivating local students. In the 24th year of Guangxu, he served as an instructor at the Shanghai Speedy Teachers’ School. In the 26th year, he taught at the Yangzheng Private School in Hangzhou, where he “expounded on the distinctions between Chinese civilization and foreign barbarism, repeatedly lecturing without weariness on the histories of the Five Barbarians, the Jin, and the Yuan dynasties, and also introduced the theories of Mencius, Deng Mu, and Huang Zongxi in his lectures.” In May of the 28th year, when a student protest broke out, he led several students including Ma Xulun to leave the school. He then went to Shanghai to edit the New World Journal, and authored Exegeses on Classical Studies... More detailed information on Chen Fuchen ++