Former Residence of Chen Yumen

Former Residence of Chen Yumen

The former residence of Chen Yumen is a cultural relic protection unit of Zhejiang Province.

The former residence of Chen Yumen is located at No. 3, Jiangci Alley. It consists of three sections: the first section is a small Western-style building, the second is a typical modern structure from the Republican era, and the third is a late Qing Dynasty building in a three-sided courtyard style, facing south. The main building has five rooms with two side wings, and the two wing rooms are two-story hip-and-gable roofed buildings. Chen Yumen (1817–1878), styled Zhengyao, also known as Yanglou, was a native of Yin City (now Yinzhou District, Ningbo). In the 29th year of the Daoguang reign (1849), he was selected as a presented scholar and once served as a middle clerk in the Grand Secretariat, holding an official rank of the Third Grade.

During the Taiping Rebellion, Chen Yumen oversaw the relief bureau and was closely associated with British Consul in Ningbo, Charles Alfred speed, often playing mahjong for entertainment. Later, Chen went to Shanghai for business and further used mahjong as a social tool, thereby introducing the game to foreigners. In the 3rd year of the Tongzhi reign (1864), Chen modified playing cards into bamboo tiles, retaining the “Wan” (Ten Thousands), “Suo” (Strings), and “Tong” (Tubes) from the “Peng and He” card games — totaling 108 tiles. He changed the “Red Flower” to “Green Dragon,” the “White Flower” to “White Board,” and the “Lao Qian” to “Red Center,” naming the set “Three Arrows,” with four tiles of each kind. He also added four wind directions — East, South, West, and North — also with four tiles each. This formed the 136-tile mahjong set that became popular at the time. Since Chen Yumen was from Ningbo, many mahjong terms are closely related to the Ningbo dialect and maritime culture. The Ningbo dialect pronounces “ma que” (sparrow) as “ma jiang” (mahjong), hence mahjong is also called ma que; “he” (win) is pronounced “hu,” “ting” (ready hand) as “ting,” and “qian” (embedded) as “kan,” not “qian,” such as in “kan dang” and “kan xiang,” all related to the Ningbo dialect. The “Suo” tiles (also called “Strings”) are derived from ship ropes and fishing nets; the “Tong” tiles come from wooden barrels used to hold fresh water and food on ships; the “Wan” tiles, homophonous with “fan” (sails) in the Ningbo dialect, also reflect sailors’ aspirations for wealth. Chen Yumen added the four winds — East, South, West, and North — inspired by maritime culture and sailors’ sensitivity to wind direction; during gameplay, “peng” (a meld of three identical tiles) symbolizes ships colliding, and “ting” (ready to win) represents a ship reaching shore. Sailors seeing a sparrow would know land was near and it was time to dock. This is also why mahjong is sometimes called “sparrow tiles.”

The mahjong system refined and transformed by Chen Yumen inherits and develops earlier gambling games, with rules evolving from complex to simple. Once introduced, it quickly gained popularity across China. Du Yaquan’s *History of Gambling* noted: After the opening of the five treaty ports, ships gathered heavily at the Ningbo harbor, and merchants from various provinces flocked there. As more people learned to play mahjong, the game spread through them to commercial hubs such as Tianjin and Shanghai, eventually reaching the whole country.

Chen Yumen (1817–1878), given name Zhengyao, also known as Yanglou, was a native of Ningbo. He is regarded as the founder of mahjong and was a renowned figure in Ningbo during the Qing Dynasty. “Yong” is the short form for Ningbo, so this ancestor of the Chen family was indeed from Ningbo.

He was exceptionally intelligent from a young age. He once studied English under Mr. Yang Qitang. In the 29th year of the Daoguang reign, he was selected as a presented scholar, and later earned promotion to middle clerk in the Grand Secretariat due to his service, holding an official rank of the Third Grade. Chen Yumen “socialized widely, indulging daily in music and wine,” had extensive connections, loved recreation, and was highly skilled at playing card games.

He also deeply felt the many inconveniences of playing cards. In the 3rd year of the Tongzhi reign (1864)... More details about Chen Yumen ++