Tianjin Zhuangwang Mansion

Tianjin Zhuangwang Mansion

Situated at No. 82 Baidi Road, Nankai District, Tianjin, the Zhuangwang Mansion was originally the family temple of Li Chun, the Jiangxi warlord of the Beiyang government. It is one of the largest surviving antique-style buildings in the city. It is a municipal-level cultural heritage site and a key protected historical building in Tianjin. Research shows that it was formerly the Zhuang Prince Mansion in Beijing, an authentic example of royal palace architecture. As the only ancient building complex outside Beijing with Qing imperial features, it is nicknamed the "Little Forbidden City of Tianjin" and "Tianjin Zhuangwang Mansion."

Under effective preservation efforts, after more than a year of restoration, the current Zhuangwang Mansion scenic area covers nearly 20,000 square meters. It maintains the classic Qing official architectural style of "blue bricks, green tiles, and red gates." From south to north, it features a large screen wall, a front garden, and a three-courtyard quadrangle.

Tianjin’s “Zhuangwang Mansion” is positioned as a cultural attraction themed around royal mansion tourism, supplemented by intangible cultural heritage displays and performances. It highlights a series of royal culture exhibitions, live performances of noble life, traditional Chinese folk weddings, and interactive amusement activities.

According to the planning scheme, this cultural tourism area is spatially divided into five parts: the forecourt space (main gate and garden), First Courtyard, Second Courtyard, Third Courtyard, and a green belt. Among them, the royal garden within the mansion spans nearly 9,000 square meters, designed in the style of an imperial garden.

Walking up the high steps from the side of Baidi Road, the first thing that catches your eye is a spacious courtyard. Large halls face each other from north to south, centrally located, flanked by smaller east and west wing rooms. Winding corridors extend deep into the rear courtyard. The square floor tiles are still intact, some polished shiny by frequent foot traffic. In the corners, patches of green moss have silently crept up the base of the walls. Looking up, the green glazed tiles on the hall roofs are neatly arranged along the ridges, while the decorative ridge beasts—such as the end caps, vertical beasts, and running beasts—stand guard serenely in their timeless positions. Their dedication seems undimmed by the passage of time.

According to Wei Kejing's research, this Li Chun Ancestral Hall was designed to face south, so the main entrance should actually start from the screen wall at the southern end of the compound. “Many people assume the southeast corner entrance on Baidi Road is the main gate—that’s incorrect.”

“Although the buildings of the Li Chun Ancestral Hall follow the style of a royal mansion, their layout was reversed during reconstruction. The original Zhuangwang Mansion, like other princely estates, would have had residential sections first, followed by the garden. But Li Chun’s Ancestral Hall reversed this—placing the garden right at the entrance, with the four successive courtyards (the original four-courtyard layout; the last courtyard has now been replaced by modern buildings) built after the garden. That’s one reason why some assume the front gate is the main entrance.” The construction of Li Chun Ancestral Hall took ten years, covering 25,600 square meters in a rectangular layout. It consists of a garden, screen wall, stone memorial archway, stone arch bridge, main gate, front hall, central hall, rear hall, side halls, and corridors. The entire structure is brightly colored, with blue tiles and red railings, grand and majestic.

Although the original screen wall of the building remains, it is now obscured by later-built low-rise houses, making its original appearance unclear. Only the two stone lions guarding the gate still sit in place. Running his hand over the smooth stone lions, Wei Kejing told reporters: “These two lions date back to the Ming Dynasty—they were likely incorporated when the Zhuangwang Mansion took over Liu Jin’s residence. Who would’ve thought they’d end up in Tianjin centuries later?” Mr. Wei explained that the first-generation Zhuang Prince was a close relative of Nurhaci. After the Manchu entered the pass, the Zhuang Prince’s mansion was originally the home of Liu Jin, the powerful Ming eunuch.

Passing through the memorial archway at the entrance, you’ll see stone turtles carrying steles. Further inside, there are stone tablets—but no inscriptions on the top. There’s also a horizontal inscribed board, one of several, though its exact position is unclear. Beside them are a series of stone drums, remnants of the past, hinting at the craftsmanship invested by ancient builders. Now, many questions remain unanswered.

Beyond the garden lies an unassuming small bridge, slightly arched, with a narrow moat running beneath it. Crossing the bridge brings you to the main gate of the Li Chun Ancestral Hall. Just as you’re about to walk across casually, Wei Kejing stops you. “Do you find anything special about this little bridge?” he asks. “No, not really!” You look left, right, up, and down—the bridge still seems quite simple. “You’ve seen the Golden Water Bridges in front of Beijing’s Tiananmen Gate, right? This bridge here is designed just like that—it’s actually a miniature ‘Golden Water Bridge.’ In the past, such bridges could only be built in front of imperial palaces; having one at any ordinary residence was forbidden.”

Fortunately, the Li Chun Ancestral Hall was built after the fall of the Qing Dynasty; otherwise, its builder might have faced execution. At the time, the grandeur of Li Chun’s construction here likely reached the ears of high-ranking officials, and it’s said that even Yuan Shikai inquired about the matter. Perhaps due to pressure from Yuan Shikai, Li Chun publicly referred to it as the Li family ancestral hall, never daring to claim it as his personal residence.