Former Residence of Jiang Guiti

Former Residence of Jiang Guiti

The Former Residence of Jiang Guiti is a cultural relic protection unit of Anhui Province.

The former residence of Jiang Guiti is located on Xuejia Lane in Bozhou City. It is an early Republican-era building that once served as the residence of Jiang Guiti, commander of the Yi Army during the late Qing Dynasty. Originally comprising over 100 rooms, the site now retains structures such as the main gate and living quarters. This was the mansion of Jiang Guiti, who held the title of General Zhaowu of the Qing Dynasty. Located inside the southern gate of Bozhou’s old city, north of Xuejia Lane, it was built around 1880 and is a typical late Qing Dynasty residential building. The residence features a multi-courtyard siheyuan layout with dozens of courtyards of various sizes, nearly 100 rooms originally arranged in an orderly fashion. All buildings were single-story structures with grey-tiled roofs and grey bricks, featuring carved patterns on both sides of the roof ridges, high-up double mythical beast ornaments, and ornate, auspicious brick carvings below the eaves and along the gables—exuding an elegant, classic beauty. Today, only the main gate and about ten original rooms remain, making it a key municipal cultural relic protection unit in Bozhou.

The former residence of Jiang Guiti was first built in the late Qing Dynasty and served as the mansion of Jiang Guiti, commander of the Yi Army and General Zhaowu. It is located inside the southern gate of Bozhou’s old city, north of Xuejia Lane, and was built around 1880, representing a typical late Qing Dynasty residential building.

The former residence of Jiang Guiti is a large-scale multi-courtyard siheyuan complex. Originally it had over 100 rooms, all laid out in an orderly fashion. The buildings were uniform single-story structures with grey bricks and tiles, featuring carved patterns on both sides of the roof ridges, high-up double mythical beast ornaments, and ornate, auspicious brick carvings below the eaves and along the gables—exuding an elegant, classic beauty. Currently, over ten structures remain, including the main gate, hallway, and main house, as well as parts of the old courtyard walls and the west side gate. The buildings are of brick-and-wood construction, with flush-gable roofs and a stacked-beam structure, topped with double-layered tiles. The main gate has three bays and a front porch, double wooden panel doors, stone drums on either side of the door, brick carvings on the risers, and bracket sets decorating the porch eaves. The hallway and main house have arched canopies over their front porches, and their beams, panels, interlocking beams, and brackets are adorned with wood carvings and painted decorations, along with lattice windows and doors.

Protected area: 50 meters east of the main gate, 70 meters west of the main gate, within the Xuejia Lane courtyard to the south, and 70 meters north of the main gate.

Construction control zone: Outside the protected area, bounded by Yongkang Road to the east, 20 meters to the south, Xiyi Avenue to the west, and Renmin Middle Road to the north.

Jiang Guiti (1843–1922), styled Hanqing and nicknamed “Old Pot Jiang,” was from Jiatun in the southeastern part of Bozhou. During the Xianfeng era of the Qing Dynasty (1851–1861), his father Jiang Yongmao was executed by Qing troops for the crime of “collaborating with the Nian rebels,” and his mother, Lady Lei, sent him to join the Nian forces under the command of his uncle, Lei Yan, leader of the small floral-flag faction. He was appointed as a detachment leader. In the second year of the Tongzhi reign (1863), Sengge Rinchen, the Mongolian prince of Köke Dorj and commander of the Qing forces, led a campaign in Henan and Anhui to suppress the Nian Rebellion. Jiang Guiti defected from the Nian rebels along with Lei Yan and joined Sengge Rinchen, initially serving as a centurion. He later earned Sengge Rinchen’s trust by leading a night raid on a Nian stronghold... More details about Jiang Guiti ++