Former Residence of Liang Qichao in Tianjin

Former Residence of Liang Qichao in Tianjin

The Former Residence of Liang Qichao in Tianjin is a national AAA-level tourist attraction, a Tianjin municipal cultural relics protection unit, and a patriotic education base.

The former residences of Liang Qichao and his Ice-Drinking Studio are located at No. 19 and No. 21 Heng’er Ma Road in the former Italian Concession of Tianjin, now No. 44 and No. 46 Minzu Road, Hebei District. These buildings are charming and elegant small Western-style houses in the Italian architectural style. His residence (No. 44 Minzu Road, Hebei District) was built in 1914 and has two floors. It includes a basement, and the top floor features 0. The main building has a cement exterior with sculpted floral decorations, uniquely shaped red tile roofing, and high stone steps. The downstairs consists of a hallway, small study, living room, and sitting room. The upstairs houses his study, the Ice-Drinking Studio, a library, and a bathroom. In 1924, Liang Qichao built a dedicated study on the left side of his residence (No. 46 Minzu Road, Hebei District), and thereafter the name “Ice-Drinking Studio” was exclusively used for this building. The Ice-Drinking Studio is a light gray two-story Western-style house, designed and constructed by Italian architect Piroglio. The first floor served as his study, while the second floor was used for bedrooms and receiving guests. In 2001, the Tianjin Municipal Government renovated the Ice-Drinking Studio within Liang Qichao’s former residence. The restored Ice-Drinking Studio retained its original layout and Italian architectural style, and has since become a new tourist attraction within Tianjin’s “Italian Style Street” by the Haihe River.

Liang Qichao’s residence is located at No. 44 Minzu Road, Hebei District, Tianjin, and the Ice-Drinking Studio is at No. 46 Hebei Road. These two houses were built by Liang Qichao in the early years of the Republic of China after he purchased an empty lot on Xima Road in the former Italian Concession from Zhou Guoxian. The front building is the main residence, which includes a basement. Each of the first and second floors has nine rooms. The entire structure is divided into two parts: the eastern half was exclusively for the Liang family, featuring a small study, living room, and sitting room; the western half was for family members. The rear building is an auxiliary structure, containing a kitchen, boiler room, storage room, and servants' quarters. The front and rear buildings are connected by corridors and skybridges. The total construction area exceeds 1,100 square meters. The main building is of brick-and-wood structure with a cement finish, featuring carved patterns, uniquely shaped red tile roofing, high stone steps, double-sash windows, and is quite exquisite, complete with a garden, garage, and guardhouse.

The Ice-Drinking Studio is located at No. 46 Minzu Road, Hebei District, connected to the residence (No. 44 Minzu Road). Built in 1924, it is a light gray two-story Western-style house. The front of the building has three small arched halls, with stone steps on both sides of the entrance and a central pool in which a stone beast spouts water continuously. The center of the first floor is a large hall, surrounded by five rooms—apart from one utility room, the rest serve as studies and libraries. The second floor features a large hall near the northwest corner and several rooms mainly used as bedrooms or resource libraries near the southeast corner. Liang Qichao lived here in his later years to focus on writing.

Liang Qichao’s Ice-Drinking Studio was designed by Italian architect Piroglio, featuring a courtyard veranda style with an enclosed awning. The architecture is uniquely designed—the central hall is actually an awning covering the courtyard, raised above the roof and inlaid with stained glass. The building has a total of 34 rooms, with a construction area of 949.5 square meters.

Address: No. 44 and No. 46 Minzu Road, Hebei District, Tianjin

Type: Celebrity Former Residence

Recommended Visiting Time: About 2 hours

Phone: 022-85521487

Opening Hours:

9:00–17:00, closed on Mondays.

Address: No. 46 Minzu Road, Hebei District

Phone: 24450857

Liang Qichao was a renowned political activist, enlightenment thinker, bourgeois propagandist, educator, historian, and writer in modern Chinese history. He was one of the leaders of the Hundred Days' Reform (also known as the Wuxu Reform). He advocated for literary reform through the “Poetry Revolution” and the “Fiction Revolution.” His collected works are compiled in the “Collected Works of the Ice-Drinking Studio.”

Liang Qichao, courtesy name Zhuoru, also known as Rengong, and by the pseudonyms Master of the Ice-Drinking Studio, Ice-Drinker, Guest of Mourning Times, The New Chinese, and Master of the Free Studio, among others. He was of Han ethnicity, from Xinhui, Guangdong. A leader of China’s modern reformists and a scholar.

Liang Qichao received his early education at home...  More details about Liang Qichao++

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level