Former Residence of Zhang Zhitan

Former Residence of Zhang Zhitan

The Former Residence of Zhang Zhitan is a cultural relic protection unit of Tianjin.

Former Residence of Zhang Zhitan

Era: 1930s

Address: No. 4 Dali Road, Heping District, Tianjin

Category: Important Modern Historical Site and Representative Architecture

Zhang Zhitan once served as an acting assistant secretary in the Ministry of War. In 1914, he was appointed as the magistrate of Suiyuan Circuit. In 1917, he became the deputy minister of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. During Duan Qirui’s administration, he served as the Secretary-General of the State Council. In January 1919, he was appointed deputy minister of the Ministry of War. In 1920, he became the minister of Internal Affairs. In 1921, he was appointed minister of Communications. After the defeat of the Anhui Clique warlords, he resigned and retired to this European-style villa in the British Concession of Tianjin. Zhang Zhitan had a deep love for calligraphy. After stepping down from office, he set up a dedicated writing room on the lower floor of this building where he practiced calligraphy every day without fail. He had a close relationship with Hua Shikui, a renowned calligrapher in Tianjin, who often came to this house to discuss calligraphy techniques with him. Zhang Zhitan wrote very beautifully—the three characters for the famous Tianjin restaurant “Dengyinglou” were inscribed by him. After his death, his younger brother Zhang Zhizhi wrote the inscription “Former Residence of Zhang Zhitan,” which was then embedded on the wall of the building.

The building faces Xinhua Road to the east, borders Dali Road to the south, connects to Hebei Road to the west, and is adjacent to Chongqing Road to the north. It is of brick-concrete structure, with a construction area of 1,013 square meters, and is currently in good condition.

Zhang Zhitan (1884–1936), styled Yuanbo, was a native of Fengrun, Zhili (now Hebei Province), and a former Jinshi scholar of the late Qing Dynasty. He once served as an acting assistant secretary in the Ministry of War; in 1914, he was appointed as the magistrate of Suiyuan Circuit; in 1917, he became the deputy minister of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and in the same year, during Duan Qirui’s administration, he was appointed as the Secretary-General of the State Council. Soon after, he took the position of chief of the Confidential Affairs Office under Duan Qirui’s Supervisory War Efforts Office; in January 1919, he was appointed deputy minister of the Ministry of War; from August 1920 to May 1921, he served as minister of Internal Affairs; from May to December 1921, he was the minister of Communications and president of the Finance Reorganization Committee. His relations with Wu Peifu of the Zhili Clique gradually grew closer, and they eventually became... More detailed information about Zhang Zhitan++

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Tianjin Cultural Relic Protection Units