Former Residence Memorial Hall of Li Shutong

Former Residence Memorial Hall of Li Shutong

The Li Shutong Former Residence Memorial Hall is a national AAA-level tourist attraction, a cultural tourism site, and a patriotic education base.

Li Shutong’s former residence is located at No. 62 Liangdian Street, Hebei District. This Qing Dynasty building has a history of over 150 years. It consists of four sets of traditional courtyard houses, laid out in a field-like pattern, with more than 60 rooms covering an area of 1,400 square meters. The entire structure is built along the street, facing east and situated westward. The main gate is a “tiger-seat” gate tower, with an extremely finely carved brick relief of the “Hundred Beasts” design above the lintel, and the walls are made of meticulously matched grey bricks. Facing the entrance is a carved brick screen wall, with the hall room located to the right of the gate tower. The front courtyard has two brick-carved decorative archways, with three northern and southern rooms each, and five eastern and western rooms each, all featuring wooden structural decorations carved with scenes of “fishing, woodcutting, farming, and reading.” To the right of the large courtyard, there was originally a small yard called “Yiyuan,” which had a wisteria trellis and was enclosed by bamboo fences. Yiyuan contained a western-style room that Li Shutong renovated after returning from his studies in Japan, known as the “foreign-style house.” The eastern room was called the “Central Study Room,” housing over 5,000 volumes of ancient thread-bound books. The courtyard also featured corridors and a small garden, with exquisitely arranged interiors and an elegant environment. Li Shutong spent most of his time in this residence before moving to Shanghai in 1912. The original residence has since been demolished and is planned for reconstruction. It is now listed as a cultural relic protection unit of Tianjin Municipality.

To promote the outstanding culture of the Chinese nation and commemorate this modern cultural master who grew up in Tianjin, the Li Shutong Calligraphy Stele Forest was unveiled on October 23, 1990, on Zhouwei Road, Hebei District. The stele forest is designed in the style of a classical garden, featuring over 80 pieces of the master’s calligraphy from the middle and late periods of his life. A 1.2-meter-tall bronze statue of the master stands prominently within the grounds. The stele forest also includes inscriptions by many renowned calligraphers.

Li Shutong was a pioneer of China’s New Culture Movement and a world-renowned Buddhist master. As such, the walls of the residence also feature inscriptions by the master and other notable figures.

The Li Shutong Former Residence officially opened in 2012. It is a Qing Dynasty building laid out in a field-like pattern and has a history of 150 years.

In the refined and tranquil courtyard, you can find the Tongda Money Shop, a Buddhist hall, living quarters, a foreign-style study, a central study, and Yiyuan.

The residence’s grey tiles and walls, along with its vermilion door frames and carved windows, exude a strong traditional cultural atmosphere.

The memorial hall also hosts special exhibitions on an irregular basis.

Suggested Length of Visit

30 minutes – 1 hour

Transportation

Take bus routes 15, 154, 172, 461, 600 Outer Ring, 633, 653, 675, 681, 804, 856, 863, 903, 907 Air-conditioned, 908, 954, or the Xilu Special Line, get off at Wanghailou Station, and walk about 330 meters to reach the site.

Admission

Currently free admission; register with a valid ID such as your ID card

Opening Hours

9:00 – 17:00 (No entry after 16:30, closed on Mondays)

Location

Inside the compound at No. 60 Liangdianhou Street, Hebei District, Tianjin (intersection of Haihe East Road and Binhai Avenue)

Address: Intersection of Haihe East Road and Binhai Avenue, Hebei District

Phone: 24458572

Liang Lusheng (1748–1793), the second son of Liang Tongshu, courtesy name Chusu, achieved the status of Juren (successful candidate in the imperial examinations) in the 53rd year of the Qianlong reign (1788). Well-versed in phonology and an expert on the Zuo Zhuan (Commentary of Zuo), he synthesized the works of various scholars and drew from numerous texts to write the Thirty Volumes of Zuo Tong Bu Shi (Supplementary Explanations to the Zuo Commentary) to expand upon what Du Yu had not covered. He was also knowledgeable in Shuowen (Explaining Graphs and Analyzing Characters) and wrote poetry with a fresh style. A native of Qiantang, Zhejiang, he authored Twenty Volumes of Xuanxue Jiaoyan (Collected Discussions on the Selections of Refined Literature), Eight Volumes of Xuanzao (Selected Literary Embellishments), Six Volumes of Sixinchixue (Study of the Six-inch Learning), and many other works.... More details on Liang Lusheng++