Tianjin Li Chun Ancestral Hall

Tianjin Li Chun Ancestral Hall

The Tianjin Li Chun Ancestral Hall is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Li Chun Ancestral Hall is located on Nanfeng Road in Nankai District and is now repurposed as the Nankai People’s Cultural Palace. Built between 1913 and 1923, the complex covers an area of 25,600 square meters and is the largest antique-style building in Tianjin. The hall faces south and features three successive courtyards at the front and a garden at the back. It consists of a brick screen wall, a stone memorial archway, a stone arched bridge, a main gate, front hall, stage, middle hall, rear hall, side halls, and corridors. The architecture is grand in scale, rigorously laid out, and exquisitely decorated. Originally, the structure was the residence of Liu Jin, a powerful eunuch from the Ming Dynasty, located outside Xizhi Gate in Beijing. Li Chun, the military governor of Jiangsu Province, purchased the estate, had it dismantled, and transported to Tianjin for reconstruction. Initially intended as a private estate, the project drew scrutiny due to its massive scope. Yuan Shikai sent investigators, and after a substantial bribe, it was repurposed as a family ancestral hall.

In May 2013, the Tianjin Li Chun Ancestral Hall was designated and announced by the State Council of the People's Republic of China as part of the seventh group of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Group of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units