Former Residence of Xia Chengtao

Former Residence of Xia Chengtao

The former residence of Xia Chengtao is a cultural relic protection unit of Wenzhou City.

The former residence of Xia Chengtao is located at No. 66 Dengxuan Lane. It consists of a gatehouse, main house, and wing rooms, forming a courtyard-style building that faces south overall.

The gatehouse has five bays in width, is a single-story structure with a flush gable roof made of brick and wood, and is covered with small blue tiles. The central bay of the gatehouse serves as a passageway. The front courtyard has two wing rooms, with the eastern one being more extensively altered. The western wing room is a three-bay, single-story wooden structure with a flush gable roof. The main house is a five-bay, single-story wooden structure with a flush gable roof, slightly taller than the gatehouse, featuring a front porch. The central bay has a depth of seven columns and thirteen rafters, and the roof is covered with small blue tiles. The rear courtyard also has two wing rooms, with the western one being a later addition. The eastern wing room is in the style of the Republican era, featuring three bays over two stories with a front porch. The central bay has a staircase at the back leading to the second floor. The second-floor facade is fitted with louvered railings, above which are lattice windows. The roof is covered with blue tiles and features a flush gable design.

The former residence of Xia Chengtao is a two-courtyard, late Qing Dynasty wooden structure. It was where one of China’s foremost masters of ci poetry lived during his youth and holds significant historical value. Xia Chengtao (1900–1986), courtesy name Quchan, later known as Quran, also used the pseudonym Mengxusheng. His study was named Yuelun Lou and Tianfeng Ge. He was a renowned scholar of ci poetry, a pioneer and founder of modern ci studies in China. He served as a professor at Zhejiang University and a researcher at the Institute of Literature of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He authored nearly 30 monographs on ci poetry, among which Tang Song Ci Ren Nian Pu (Chronological Biographies of Tang and Song Ci Poets) and Tang Song Ci Lun Cong (Collected Essays on Tang and Song Ci Poetry) are considered monumental works in the field. It was designated as part of the fourth batch of municipal cultural relic protection units of Wenzhou City in 2000.

Protection Level: County (City/District)-Level Cultural Relic Protection Unit

Period: Republican Era

Date of Designation: April 2, 2000

Category: Important Modern Historical Sites and Representative Buildings

Protected Area: Defined by the surrounding walls of the building.