Zhuangwang Mansion

Zhuangwang Mansion

Zhuangwang Mansion is a cultural tourism attraction.

Located at No. 82 Baidi Road, Nankai District, Tianjin, Zhuangwang Mansion was originally the family temple of Li Chun, the Jiangxi warlord of the Beiyang government, and is one of the largest

surviving antique-style buildings in the city. It is a municipal-level cultural relics protection unit and a key historically protected architectural landmark in Tianjin. Research indicates that it was formerly the Zhuang Prince’s Mansion in Beijing and is an authentic example of princely mansion architecture. As the only ancient architectural complex outside Beijing that retains Qing imperial characteristics, it is known as the "Little Forbidden City of Tianjin" or the "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, maintaining the standard Qing official architectural style of “blue bricks, green tiles, and red gates.” From south to north, it features a grand screen wall, a front garden, and a three-courtyard quadrangle.

Tianjin’s “Zhuangwang Mansion” is positioned as a cultural tourism destination featuring princely-themed tours, supplemented by intangible cultural heritage displays and performances. Highlights include a series of exhibitions on princely culture, real-scene performances of princely life, traditional Chinese folk weddings, and interactive amusement activities. According to planning, this cultural tourist attraction is spatially divided into five parts: the introductory space (gate and garden), first courtyard, second courtyard, third courtyard,

and greenbelt. Among them, the princely garden spans nearly 9,000 square meters in royal garden style.

Walking up the high steps from the side of Baidi Road, the first thing you see is a spacious courtyard. Large halls face each other from north to south in the center, flanked by smaller east and west wing rooms. A winding corridor extends deep into the rear courtyard. The square bricks on the ground remain intact, some polished shiny by frequent foot traffic. In the corners, patches of lush green moss have crept up the base of the walls over time. Looking up, the green-glazed tiles on the halls are neatly arranged along the ridges, while the decorative roof figures—such as the dragon heads, hanging beasts, and running beasts—at either end of the ridges stand guard serenely in their eternal positions. Their sense of duty seems to have remained unwavering despite the passage of time.

According to Wei Kejing’s investigation, this Li Chun Ancestral Hall was designed to face south, so the main entrance should begin at the screen wall on the southern side of the residence. “Many people assume the entrance at the southeast corner on Baidi Road is the main gate—that’s incorrect.”

“Although the buildings of the Li Chun Ancestral Hall follow princely architecture styles, the original layout was reversed during reconstruction. The original Zhuangwang Mansion would have had the same layout as other princely mansions—residential sections first, then the garden. But Li Chun Ancestral Hall did the opposite, placing the garden at the front gate and the other four courtyards (originally four, but the final courtyard has since been replaced by modern buildings) behind the garden. This is one reason why some assume the front gate is the main entrance.” The Li Chun Ancestral Hall took 10 years to build, covering 25,600 square meters with 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, majestic and imposing.

Although the original screen wall of the building remains, it has been obscured by later-built low-rise houses, making its original appearance unclear. Only the two stone lions guarding the gate still squat in place. Touching the smooth stone lions, Wei Kejing told reporters: “These two lions date back to the Ming Dynasty—they were likely inherited 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 blood relative of Nurhaci. After the Manchus entered the pass, the Zhuang Prince’s mansion was the former residence of the powerful Ming eunuch Liu Jin.

Passing through the memorial archway at the entrance, you’ll find stone turtles carrying steles, followed by a pair of stone steles without inscriptions. One of them doesn’t even have a character. They appear indistinguishable at first glance. To read the inscription “Baxian Lian” (Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea), you have to get very close. Among them is one with a slightly shorter beard, possibly because its long beard wore down over time, making it appear shorter. It may also have been damaged during construction. Experts speculate that this is one of the reasons why people believe “the shorter the beard, the lower the rank.” There is also a theory that those with broken beards were not well-maintained, or that they didn’t receive proper care, or that they were affected by rain erosion. There’s even a view that the beard may have been broken off due to an error during production. After the garden, a rather unremarkable small bridge lies across your path. The slightly arched stone bridge still retains a narrow moat. Cross the bridge, and you’ll reach the main gate of the Li Chun Ancestral Hall. Just as you’re about to cross casually, Wei Kejing stops you. “Do you think this little bridge is special?” he asks. “No?” You look left, right, up, and down—the bridge still looks quite simple. “You’ve seen the Golden Water Bridge in front of Tiananmen in Beijing, right? This bridge here is designed just like that—it’s actually a scaled-down ‘Golden Water Bridge.’ In the past, only the palace gate could have such a bridge; having one at any other residence was prohibited.”

Fortunately, the Li Chun Ancestral Hall was built after the Republic of China era; otherwise, it could’ve led to execution. Back then, the grandeur of Li Chun building his residence here likely reached the ears of high-ranking government officials. 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, not daring to claim it as his personal residence.

Address: No. 82 Baidi Road, Nankai District, Tianjin

Opening Hours: 9:00 – 17:00

Transportation: Take bus routes 609, 640, 849, 859, etc., and get off at Nankai Cultural Palace Station.

Reference Ticket Price: 20 RMB per person