The Former Residence of Natong

The Former Residence of Natong

The Former Residence of Natong is a cultural tourism attraction.

The Former Residence of Natong is located at No. 176 Xinhua Road, Heping District, as it stands today. In the early years of the Republic of China, Natong purchased the land here and built two buildings—one large and one small—both designed in German-style villa architecture. The larger building is made of reinforced concrete, with the ground floor serving as living rooms in both Chinese styles (including Han and Manchu styles) and Western styles (European and Japanese); the smaller building is a two-story red German-style villa, built with a brick-wood structure, tiled roof, covering approximately 500 square meters with 15 rooms. The compound includes four garages and lush gardens. Originally, there were also flower stands and a pond in the courtyard. The larger building was demolished in 1980, but the smaller one remains well-preserved and was where Natong primarily lived after his retreat from public life. This former residence has been listed as an immovable cultural relic in Tianjin that has not yet been officially designated as a protected historical site.

Natong (1857–1925) was a member of the Manchu Plain Yellow Banner of the Imperial Household Department. Of the Yehe Nara clan, he had the courtesy name Qinxuan. In 1885, he passed the metropolitan examination (Yikao) as the 112th-ranked candidate in the Shuntian Prefecture. Starting as a clerk in the Ministry of Revenue, he was gradually promoted to the rank of fourth-grade official in the capital, appointed as Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, and later promoted to Academician of the Grand Secretariat. In 1900, he served as a minister in the Zongli Yamen (Office for General Management of the Affairs of All Nations) and concurrently as Vice Minister of the Lifan Yuan (Court of Colonial Affairs). After the Eight-Nation Alliance captured Beijing, he was appointed as an official staying behind in the capital, accompanying Yikuang and others in negotiations and related duties. Later, he served as Governor of Zhili, Minister of Posts and Communications, and also visited Japan... Detailed information on Yehe Nara · Natong ++