Former Residence of Sun Chuanfang

Former Residence of Sun Chuanfang

The former residence of Sun Chuanfang is a cultural tourism attraction.

The former residence of Sun Chuanfang is located at No. 15 Tai’an Avenue, Heping District, Tianjin. Built between 1921 and 1922, it is the most luxurious among the several residences he owned in Tianjin. The structure is made of brick and wood, consisting of a two-story building divided into a front section and a rear section. There are large glass windows where the two sections connect. The entrance features stone steps and is flanked by four Ionic stone columns. It has a gently sloping roof, varied window designs, and a small gray-domed pavilion at the center of the roof ridge, reflecting an elegant and classic European eclectic architectural style. The interior is luxuriously decorated. The residence is currently used by the Tianjin Municipal Commission on Population and Family Planning and is listed as a cultural relic protection unit of Tianjin.

Sun Chuanfang (1885–1935), courtesy name Xinyuan, was from Licheng, Shandong Province, and one of the leading warlords of the Zhili Clique during the Republic of China era. While studying in Japan, he joined the Tongmenghui (Chinese Revolutionary Alliance). In 1923, he was appointed Military Governor of Fujian. During the Jiangsu-Zhejiang War in 1924, he expanded his forces opportunistically. Starting in October 1925, he led troops to expel the Fengtian Clique forces in Jiangsu and Anhui, and in November, he declared the establishment of the United Army of Five Provinces (Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangsu, Anhui, and Jiangxi) in Nanjing, appointing himself as commander-in-chief of the united army as well as governor of Jiangsu, thereby becoming the most powerful warlord within the Zhili Clique. In 1926, he lost the majority of his elite troops while trying to block the Northern Expedition forces from advancing eastward. He later sought refuge under Zhang Zuolin and then Zhang Xueliang, and was eventually assassinated in Tianjin by Shi Jianqiao.

Sun Chuanfang (1885–1935), courtesy name Xinyuan, was from Tai’an, Shandong Province, and a leader of the Zhili Clique. Orphaned at a young age and living dependently, he joined the military and, through relentless effort, went to Japan to study abroad in 1904.

He graduated from the Imperial Japanese Army Academy in 1908, and after returning to China in 1909, held various positions including battalion commander, regimental commander, and brigade commander in the Beiyang Army. In 1923, he led troops into Fujian, quelled a rebellion there, and was appointed Military Governor of Fujian. From September 1924—when the war broke out—he sent troops to assist Qi Xieyuan, launching a pincer attack against the Anhui Clique’s Lu Yongxiang and taking control of Zhejiang. In October 1925, he rose in arms to drive... More details about Sun Chuanfang ++