Former Residence of Huang Yuan

Former Residence of Huang Yuan

The former residence of Huang Yuan is located at No. 13 Geling Road, West Lake, Hangzhou. It was the place where Mr. Huang Yuan lived the longest. From May 1955, when he came to work in Zhejiang, he lived and worked here for 45 years.

The residence spans 330 square meters, featuring traditional wooden structures, wooden doors and windows, white walls with black tiles, and bluestone step treads, all characteristic of Jiangnan residential architecture. Inside the former home are displayed over a hundred items, including Huang Yuan’s manuscripts, books, daily-use items, and correspondence with cultural figures such as Lu Xun. These exhibits are presented through a combination of display cases, illustrated panels, multimedia presentations, and recreated living scenes, vividly showcasing the remarkable life of Mr. Huang.

Highlights

Huang Yuan (1905–2003), whose given name was Qiyuan and courtesy name Heqing, was a native of Haiyan, Zhejiang. He was a translator and both a student and comrade of Lu Xun in his later years. He studied at schools such as the affiliated high school of Southeast University, Chunhui Middle School, and Lida Academy. In the late 1920s, he became involved in China's New Culture Movement. In 1937, when Japanese forces attacked Shanghai, and in 1938, Huang Yuan resolutely left his pen behind to join the military, going to southern Anhui to enlist in the New Fourth Army. There, he served as a member of the Army Headquarters Cultural Committee, editorial board member of the magazine Anti-Enemy, and chief editor of the book One Day in the New Fourth Army. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, he held various positions including Vice Minister of Culture of the East China Administrative Council, Vice Minister of the Cultural and Educational Department of the CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee, and Director of the Zhejiang Provincial Bureau of Culture. In his later years, he served as Honorary Chairman of the Zhejiang Federation of Literary and Art Circles.

In his early years, Huang Yuan forged deep friendships with figures such as Lu Xun, Chen Yi, Mao Dun, and Ba Jin. Under his direction, the Kunqu Opera adaptation of Fifteen Strings of Cash earned the praise of “a single play reviving an entire opera genre.” Huang Yuan passed away peacefully in Hangzhou in 2003 at the age of 98.