Former Residence of Feng Guozhang

Former Residence of Feng Guozhang

The Former Residence of Feng Guozhang is a protected cultural relic site of Tianjin.

Former Residence of Feng Guozhang

Era: Late Qing Dynasty (1912)

Address: No. 50 Minzhu Avenue & No. 8 Dachangxing Hutong, Hebei District, Tianjin

Category: Important Modern Historical Sites and Representative Buildings

Feng Guozhang (1857–1919), courtesy name Huafu, was a native of Hejian, Hebei Province. In his early years, he studied at the Lianchi Academy in Baoding and later transferred to the Tianjin Military Preparatory School, from which he graduated in 1890. Gaining the favor of Yuan Shikai, he followed him to train the New Army in Xiaozhan. During the Xinhai Revolution, he led troops to capture Hankou for Yuan and advanced toward Wuchang. When Yuan became president, Feng served as the Governor of Zhili and garrison commander of the capital. In 1915, he led troops southward on Yuan’s behalf to suppress the Second Revolution, was appointed Governor of Jiangsu, and took charge of the region south of the Yangtze. The following year, he became Vice President while continuing to hold the Jiangsu governorship, becoming an important figure among the Zhili clique in Beijing. In 1917, he entered Beijing to act as provisional president but resigned the next year and left Tianjin. He died of illness in Beijing in 1919.

The former residence of Feng Guozhang faces south and originally stretched from Dachangxing Hutong in the east to Haihe East Road in the west, from No. 8 Dachangxing Hutong in the north to Minzhu Avenue in the south. The existing structures include the main gate, corridor, main building, and side rooms. The total area covers 669.85 square meters, with a building area of 508.87 square meters.

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Protected Cultural Relic Sites of Tianjin