Former Residence of Xiang Xiang

Former Residence of Xiang Xiang

The former residence of Xiang Xiang is a cultural heritage site protected by Rui’an City.

The former residence of Xiang Xiang is located at No. 46 Caotang Lane, Hongnan Community, Yuhai Subdistrict, Rui’an City, facing south. It is an early Republican-era building with Western-style elements, consisting of an outer gate, main building, and left and right wing rooms.

The outer gate is made of brick, with a slightly fanned plan and a touch of Western style. Its upper part features a brick corbel arch. The inner gate is also made of brick, with an eight-shaped plan, sharing a consistent style with the outer gate but on a larger scale. The shoulders of the eight-shaped walls are fitted with rectangular floral frames, which are decorated with carved brick insets.

The main building is a single-eave two-story structure with a blue brick facade and wooden beams. It spans five bays in width and six bays in depth, with front porches on both the upper and lower floors. Square column bases project from the square pilasters, reaching all the way to the eaves. The roof is a hip-and-gable design, covered with small blue tiles. The left and right wing rooms are also single-eave two-story buildings, connected to the main house under shared eaves. They span three bays in width, lack front porches, have doors on the ground floor of the central bay, square windows in each bay, and decorative brick corbel window surrounds. Their roofs are flush gable roofs.

Xiang Xiang (1880–1944), courtesy name Chuanchen, also known as Weichen, was a native of Rui’an. In his early years, he studied at the Rui’an Dialect School. In 1901, during the 27th year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty, he was admitted to Nanyang Public School in Shanghai. In the winter of the 29th year, amid unrest at Nanyang Public School, he transferred to Aurora University. In the 31st year, with funding from his clan uncle Xiang Xiangzao, he went to Columbia University in the United States, where he earned a master's degree in political economy. In 1909, the first year of the Xuantong reign, the Qing court held examinations for returned overseas students, and the following year, during the palace examination, he ranked first, earning the title "foreign top scholar." He was appointed as a Hanlin editorial compiler. In 1912, he served as the chief advisor to the Ministry of Finance. 1…… More details about Xiang Xiang++

Yuhai Subdistrict: Yuhai Subdistrict is located in Rui’an City, Zhejiang Province, covering an area of 6.6 square kilometers with a population of 79,500 (as of the end of 2008). It administers 16 communities including Hou??, Fengshan, Yunjiang, Dianxiang, Shadi, Xianqian, Wangjiang, Binjiang, Yanjiang, Nanmen, Puhou, Dongmen, Dongqiao, Hongnan, Dongfeng, and Ximenhetou, and 2 administrative villages, Hou?? and Dongyong. The subdistrict office is located on Zhousong Road. The area serves as Rui’an’s commercial and cultural hub, boasting profound cultural heritage and historical depth, as well as uniquely rich resources. Leveraging the role of the Yuhai Cultural Activity Center, it actively fosters distinctive culture and builds a fifteen… More details about Yuhai Subdistrict++