Former Residence of Cai Yuanpei in Shaoxing

Former Residence of Cai Yuanpei in Shaoxing

The Former Residence of Cai Yuanpei in Shaoxing is a cultural relic protection unit of Zhejiang Province.

Located at No. 13 Bifei Lane, Xiaoshan Street, downtown Shaoxing, it is a Ming-Qing dynasty-style local residential building with distinctive Shaoxing features; it is also currently the only memorial dedicated exclusively to the life and achievements of Cai Yuanpei in China. Cai Yuanpei’s ancestors migrated from Zhuji to Shanyin (Shaoxing) during the late Ming dynasty. During the Daoguang reign of the Qing dynasty, Cai Yuanpei’s grandfather, Jiamo Gong, purchased a house on Bifei Lane, which initially had a three-bay main hall, and later five rooms upstairs and five downstairs were added behind the house. Three generations of the family, starting with his grandfather, lived together. Cai Yuanpei’s father, Pei Baoyu, resided in one room upstairs and one downstairs on the east side, plus a covered corridor. Cai Yuanpei was born here on January 11, 1868. The eastern side room of the main building served as his study and bedroom, where he lived until the age of 28, during his tenure at the Shaoxing Chinese-Western School (now Shaoxing No. 1 High School), and on each of his returns to his hometown.

The main structures of the residence include the entrance hall, the main hall, and the main building, arranged across three courtyards, covering an area of 1,856 square meters with a built-up area of 1,004 square meters. The buildings feature a brick-and-wood structure, latticed windows and doors, black tiles with white walls, and bluestone flooring. The entrance hall has three bays and faces east, with its plaque “Former Residence of Cai Yuanpei” inscribed by the master artist Liu Haisu. Inside the hall stands a half-length statue of Cai Yuanpei, with a kind and wise gaze, exuding the demeanor of a venerable elder. Hanging above the main hall is a plaque inscribed by Mao Zedong praising him as the “Doyen of Academia,” along with a couplet written by [author] and calligraphed by Shen Ding’an: “From opposing the Qing to the War of Resistance, your aspirations lay in national revolution; from the May Fourth Movement to the League for Democracy, your actions championed democracy and freedom.” This couplet succinctly summarizes the illustrious journey of Cai Yuanpei’s life.

The front side rooms of the main hall, the main hall itself and its side rooms, the front west side room of the main building, and the west side room of the main building have all been converted into the “Cai Yuanpei Life and Legacy Exhibition Room,” introducing the achievements of Mr. Cai Yuanpei. The Former Residence of Cai Yuanpei has been listed as a key cultural relic protection unit of Zhejiang Province.

The Former Residence of Cai Yuanpei is located at No. 13 Bifei Lane in downtown Shaoxing, serving as the residence for several generations of the Cai family, starting with his grandfather. Cai Yuanpei (1868–1940), courtesy name Heqing, art name Jiemin, came from a scholarly background, and held positions such as Minister of Education of the Republic of China, President of Peking University, and President of the Academia Sinica. He was a renowned democratic revolutionary, educator, and scientist in modern China. The main structure of the residence faces south and is built with a brick-and-wood structure, consisting of three courtyards. The first courtyard, the entrance hall, faces west and east, with a plaque inscribed “Former Residence of Cai Yuanpei” in the handwriting of Liu Haisu hanging above the door; the second courtyard, the main hall, and the third courtyard, the building, all face north and south, but the three courtyards are not aligned on the same axis. The front courtyard leading from the entrance hall to the main hall is particularly spacious—almost the size of a basketball court—with especially high surrounding walls, giving the deep courtyard an imposing aura. The second courtyard consists of one hall and two rooms, now used as exhibition space, with a half-length statue of Cai Yuanpei placed centrally in the main hall, exuding the demeanor of a scholar. On the left wall hangs a large couplet written by Mao Zedong and calligraphed by Sha Menghai: “Doyen of Academia, Role Model for Humanity”; the right wall features a couplet written by [author] and calligraphed by Shen Ding’an: “From opposing the Qing to the War of Resistance, your aspirations lay in national revolution; from the May Fourth Movement to the League for Democracy, your actions championed democracy and freedom.” The rear courtyard is the main building, with five rooms upstairs and five downstairs, where Cai Yuanpei was born and spent his childhood and youth. The Former Residence of Cai Yuanpei has been listed as a key cultural relic protection unit of Zhejiang Province.

Cai Yuanpei (1868–1940), courtesy name Heqing, art name Zi’mín, was a native of Shaoxing, Zhejiang. A renowned democratic revolutionary and educator of modern times, he once served as president of the Restoration Society, studied in France, and after returning to China, held positions such as Minister of Education of the Nanjing Provisional Government and President of the Academia Sinica. In 1917, he became President of Peking University. In 1932, he co-founded the China League for the Protection of Civil Rights with Soong Ching-ling and others. He passed away in Hong Kong in March 1940.

He devoted his life to science and democracy, opposing feudal autocracy. Lauded by Mao Zedong as the “Doyen of Academia, Role Model for Humanity,” his 74-year life spanned the eras of the Qing government, the Nanjing Provisional Government, the Beiyang government, and the Nationalist government. Throughout these turbulent times, he remained committed to patriotic and democratic ideals, worked to abolish the feudal education system, laid the foundation for China’s modern education system, and made pioneering contributions to the development of China’s education, culture, and science.

Address: No. 13 Bifei Lane, Yuecheng District, Shaoxing City

Transportation

Buses 1, 2, 10, 16, 106, 108, 116, 130, 137, 157, 188, 303 to Xianheng Hospital Station.

Type: Celebrity Former Residence

Recommended Visiting Time: About 20 minutes

Tel: 0575-85136580

Opening Hours:

8:00-17:00

Ticket Information:

Single ticket to the former residence: 5 RMB. This site is also included in the Book Saint Hometown Historic District combo ticket. Joint ticket (including 13 major attractions in Shaoxing Ancient City): 140.00 RMB

Cai Yuanpei (1868–1940), courtesy names Heqing and Jiemin, art name Jienong, was a native of Shanyin, Shaoxing (present-day Yuecheng District). As a youth, he proofread books at the ancient Yue Library in Shaoxing, which allowed him to read extensively. In the 15th year of the Guangxu reign (1889), he passed the imperial examination at the county level, and in the 16th year (1890), he passed the metropolitan examination as a presented scholar, though he did not take the palace examination. In the 18th year (1892), he completed the palace examination and became a Jinshi (presented scholar), appointed as a Shujishi (a compiled scholar) of the Hanlin Academy, and in the 20th year (1894), he was promoted to a Bianxiu (compiler) of the Hanlin Academy. After the First Sino-Japanese War, he began to engage with Western learning and sympathized with the reform movement. In the 24th year (1898) of Guangxu, he returned to Shaoxing and served as head of the Shaoxing Chinese-Western School, advocating for new learning. In the 27th year (1901), he went to Shanghai to become a teacher at Nanyang Public School... [More detailed information about Cai Yuanpei]

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level