Former Residence of Jin Yunpeng

Former Residence of Jin Yunpeng

The former residence of Jin Yunpeng is located at No. 2 Sichuan Road, Heping District. It was purchased in 1929 under the name Yanfutang from the British Municipal Council. This is a courtyard-style Western-style building with a spacious yard. The entire residence consists of 53 rooms including both buildings and single-story houses, covering a construction area of over 3,500 square meters. There are two sections, front and back, both built with brick and wood structures. The front building is the main three-story house with a basement, featuring wide steps at the front; the first and second floors are adorned with eight cement pillars framing the arched porches, giving it a majestic appearance; the third floor has a rooftop terrace, with tall living spaces and ceilings decorated with various patterns and lines. The rear building is a two-story strip-style structure with a front porch. Jin’s family lived on the first floor of the main building. As he became keen on Buddhism after stepping down from office, a Buddhist shrine was also set up in the residence. This former residence has been listed as an immovable cultural relic in Tianjin that has not yet been officially designated as a protected heritage site.

Jin Yunpeng (1877–1951), courtesy name Yiqing, was the Premier of the Beiyang Government. He was from Miaozhuang Village (now Zoucheng City), Zouxian County. He came from a farming family. His father died early, and he and his mother, Madam Qiu, made a living by selling pancakes and working as wet nurses (Jin’s mother had been a wet nurse to Pan Fu). He began studying at a private school at age 8 but soon dropped out. In 1894 (the 20th year of the Guangxu reign), at the age of 18, he was recruited into the “Newly Created Army” trained by Yuan Shikai at Xiaozhan in Tianjin. Four years later, he was selected to join the first class of the Artillery Battalion affiliated with the Army Officers’ School. After graduation, he stayed on as an instructor and earned the deep appreciation and esteem of Duan Qirui, the supervisor of the school. Later he was listed... More details about Jin Yunpeng ++