The Mansion of Grand Secretary Wang Wenshao

The Mansion of Grand Secretary Wang Wenshao

The Mansion of Grand Secretary Wang Wenshao is a cultural heritage site protected by the city of Hangzhou.

The Mansion of Grand Secretary Wang Wenshao was built in the late Qing Dynasty as a traditional Chinese-style residence, located at No. 3, 9, 10, and 11 Qingyin Lane. It was originally the residence of Wang Wenshao, a prominent official and grand secretary of the late Qing period. Wang’s ancestors once lived on Qingyin Lane, but the family fortunes declined. When Wang restored the family’s wealth and rose to high office, he learned that five red bats had once flown around the beams of the ancestral home — a highly auspicious omen — and subsequently invested a large sum to construct an expansive mansion on the site.

Protected Area: Extending approximately 3–15 meters beyond the heritage structure itself, the protected area spans from the eastern boundary of Qingyin Lane to the east, the southern boundary of Qingyin Lane to the south, the western boundary of the alley to the west, and the southern road red line of Qingyin Street to the north, covering a total area of 5,244 square meters.

Construction Control Zone: Primary Control Zone: Extends to the eastern road red line to the east, approximately 25 meters south of Qingyin Lane to the south, the eastern road red line of Longhua Lane to the west, and the southern road red line of Qingyin Street to the north, with a total area of 10,365 square meters. Secondary Control Zone: Extends approximately 55 meters beyond the eastern road red line of Zijin Guan Lane to the east, within the area of the Primary Control Zone to the south, the eastern road red line of Huanghao Lane to the west, and approximately 30–50 meters north of the southern road red line of Qingyin Street to the north, covering a total area of 10,091 square meters.

Wang Wenshao (1830–1908), courtesy name Kuishi and also known as Gengyu, was a native of Renhe (modern-day Hangzhou) in the Qing Dynasty. He passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi in the second year of the Xianfeng era (1852). In the third year of the Tongzhi era (1864), he served as Salt Transport Commissioner of Anxiang Jingyun Dao in Hubei. Later, recommended by Zuo Zongtang and Li Hongzhang, he was appointed as Judicial Commissioner and was promoted to Governor of Hunan ten years later. In the fourth year of the Guangxu era (1878), he was appointed as Left Vice Minister of Rites, then transferred to Left Vice Minister of Revenue and eventually Minister of Revenue. In the thirteenth year (1887), he served as Vice Minister of War. In the fifteenth year (1889), he was promoted to Governor-General of Yunnan and Guizhou. In the twenty-first year (1895), he was transferred to Governor-General of Zhili and Minister of Beiyang. In the twenty-fourth year (1898), as Minister of Revenue and concurrently Grand Secretary, he entered the Grand Council to serve as a member of the Grand Secretariat... More details about Wang Wenshao ++