Former Residence of Mao Dun in Beijing

Former Residence of Mao Dun in Beijing

The Former Residence of Mao Dun in Beijing is a national AA-level tourist attraction, a municipal cultural heritage site, and a patriotic education base.

Located in Houyuan'ensi Hutong, Jiaodaokou, Dongcheng District, it is a municipal cultural heritage site. Mao Dun lived here from 1974 to 1981. The residence is a two-courtyard quadrangle covering an area of 878 square meters. Above the screen wall inside the gate is a gilded black marble plaque inscribed with “Mao Dun’s Former Residence,” presented by —. The front courtyard has three north rooms, three east and west wing rooms each, and six reverse-facing rooms. The west wing room was originally Mao Dun’s reception room and book collection room. The east wing room served as the dining room, while the rest were living quarters for family members and staff. The back courtyard has six north rooms and two west wing rooms. The north rooms were originally Mao Dun’s workspace and bedroom. After his passing, two exhibition rooms were set up in the front courtyard, displaying over 400 items related to Mao Dun’s life, including manuscripts, first editions of his works, letters, handwritten notes, and literary magazines he edited. The main room in the back courtyard remains in its original state: the entrance room serves as a living room, with a row of bookshelves along the north wall, where books are arranged as they were during his lifetime. In front of the shelves are a pair of single sofas. On the east side of the room, next to the window, stands a writing desk. A door in the living room leads to the bedroom, where a small bed is placed in the center. On the left side of the bed, a table holds old periodicals used for researching his memoirs, as well as clippings he collected and books he read in his later years. The wardrobe and chest of drawers in the bedroom are all original pieces. On a small wardrobe against the left wall rests a black lacquered carved urn containing the ashes of his wife, Kong Derang. The north room on the west side is dedicated as the “Mao Dun Library,” housing his works and personal collection. In 1987, the protected area and construction control zone were designated, with the protected area covering the compound at No. 13, Houyuan'ensi Back Street.

Facing Heizhima Hutong and to the east of Houyuan'ensi Hutong, just a short walk into the alley, No. 13 is Mao Dun’s former residence. Compared to the many grand mansions in the area, Mao Dun’s home is very ordinary and unassuming—just a modest two-courtyard quadrangle. This July marks the 110th anniversary of Mao Dun’s birth, and the residence has been renovated and reopened to the public. Upon entering, a half-length statue of Mr. Mao Dun stands in the front courtyard. The surrounding rooms host an exhibition on his life. The bedroom, living room, and study in the back courtyard are arranged as they were during his lifetime. After the liberation, Mao Dun lived at No. 203, Dongsi Tiao 1, a dormitory for the Ministry of Culture, where he was neighbors with Zhou Yang, Yang Hansheng, and others. In 1974, he moved to Houyuan'ensi and lived there until his death in 1981, spending his final seven years in this small courtyard. The front gate of Mao Dun’s Beijing residence.

Mao Dun moved into this compound in December 1974 and lived here until his passing in 1981. After his death, the residence was opened to the public as an exhibition hall. The front courtyard houses two exhibition rooms displaying Mao Dun’s—

personal belongings and photos, including manuscripts, works, letters, handwritten notes, and literary magazines he edited, totaling over 400 items. The main room in the back courtyard contains a black lacquered carved urn holding the ashes of Mao Dun’s wife, Ms. Kong Deranzhan. On May 24, 1984, No. 13, Houyuan'ensi, was designated as the “Former Residence of Mao Dun,” a municipal cultural heritage site in Beijing.

Mao Dun lived here from 1974 to 1981. The residence is a two-courtyard quadrangle covering an area of 878 square meters. Above the screen wall inside the gate is a gilded black marble plaque inscribed with “Mao Dun’s Former Residence.” The front courtyard has three north rooms, three east and west wing rooms each, and six reverse-facing rooms. The west wing room was originally Mao Dun’s reception room and book collection room. The east wing room served as the dining room, while the rest were living quarters for family members and staff. The back courtyard has six north rooms and two west wing rooms. The north rooms were originally Mao Dun’s workspace and bedroom. After his passing, two exhibition rooms were set up in the front courtyard, displaying Mao Dun’s personal belongings and photos, including manuscripts, first editions of his works, letters, handwritten notes, and literary magazines he edited, totaling over 400 items. The main room in the back courtyard remains in its original state: the entrance room serves as a living room, with a row of bookshelves along the north wall, where books are arranged as they were during his lifetime. In front of the shelves are a pair of single sofas. On the east side of the room, next to the window, stands a writing desk. A door in the living room leads to the bedroom, where a small bed is placed in the center. On the left side of the bed, a table holds old periodicals used for researching his memoirs, as well as clippings he collected and books he read in his later years. The wardrobe and chest of drawers in the bedroom are all original pieces. On a small wardrobe against the left wall rests a black lacquered carved urn containing the ashes of his wife, Kong Derang. The north room on the west side is dedicated as the “Mao Dun Library,” housing his works and personal collection. In 1987, the protected area and construction control zone were designated, with the protected area covering the compound at No. 13, Houyuan'ensi Back Street.

Marble plaque. The front courtyard has three north rooms, three east and west wing rooms each, and six reverse-facing rooms. The west wing room was originally Mao Dun’s reception room and book collection room. The east wing room served as the dining room, while the rest were living quarters for family members and staff. The back courtyard has six north rooms and two west wing rooms. The north rooms were originally Mao Dun’s workspace and bedroom. After his passing, two exhibition rooms were set up in the front courtyard, displaying Mao Dun’s personal belongings and photos, including manuscripts, first editions of his works, letters, handwritten notes, and literary magazines he edited, totaling over 400 items. The main room in the back courtyard remains in its original state: the entrance room serves as a living room, with a row of bookshelves along the north wall, where books are arranged as they were during his lifetime. In front of the shelves are a pair of single sofas. On the east side of the room, next to the window, stands a writing desk. A door in the living room leads to the bedroom, where a small bed is placed in the center. On the left side of the bed, a table holds old periodicals used for researching his memoirs, as well as clippings he collected and books he read in his later years. The wardrobe and chest of drawers in the bedroom are all original pieces. On a small wardrobe against the left wall rests a black lacquered carved urn containing the ashes of his wife, Kong Derang. The north room on the west side is dedicated as the “Mao Dun Library,” housing his works and personal collection. In 1987, the protected area and construction control zone were designated, with the protected area covering the compound at No. 13, Houyuan'ensi Back Street.

Mao Dun lived here from December 1974 to March 1981. After his passing, the residence was converted into an exhibition hall. Covering an area of 800 square meters with a built-up area of over 500 square meters, it is a small two-courtyard quadrangle. Upon entering, there is an 83-centimeter-tall white marble bust of Mao Dun, placed on a black marble pedestal. The front courtyard has 15 rooms, with the west wing room originally serving as a reception room and book collection room, maintained in its original state, furnished with items Mao Dun used during his lifetime. The exhibition rooms display artifacts and photos from Mao Dun’s childhood to his passing, including manuscripts, first editions of his works, letters, handwritten notes, and two primary school composition books (the earliest surviving samples of his handwriting). The back courtyard’s main room houses a black lacquered carved urn containing the ashes of Mao Dun’s wife, Ms. Kong Deranzhan.

Mao Dun had more than one residence in Beijing, but he spent his final days in a house formed by combining two quadrangles in Houyuan'ensi Hutong. It has been just over 20 years since his passing, so his former residence remains largely intact. As a public attraction, it doesn’t see many visitors. Compared to large parks, it may seem a bit old, but for a writer of such significance in modern Chinese literary history, the value his residence offers to future generations goes far beyond the cost of a five-yuan ticket.

Mao Dun spent his final years here. Houyuan'ensi Hutong was called Jiaodaokou South Third Alley in the 1960s and 1970s and reverted to its original name in the early 1980s. According to the *Beiping Temple Directory*, there was once a Yuan'en Temple here, “built during the Yuan Dynasty and renovated repeatedly through the ages.” Over the years, the temple has vanished without a trace, leaving only its name, which still hints at the weight of history. The reporter easily spotted the “Mao Dun Former Residence” midway down the hutong. The gate bears three or four plaques, including one for “Cultural Heritage Site,” one for the “Dongcheng District Youth Patriotic Education Base,” and a brand-new silver-gray sign reading “Introduction to Mao Dun’s Former Residence.” Admission to Mao Dun’s Former Residence is five yuan per person. Mao Dun lived in three places in his life. To break it down, Wuzhen was his first hometown, where he was born and received elementary education. Shanghai was his second, where he published his first novel, *Disillusion*, under the pen name Mao Dun. Beijing was his third. In the early 20th century, he studied here, and in the mid-20th century, he lived here for over 30 years. In Beijing, Mao Dun transformed from a literary creator into an organizer and leader in Chinese cultural circles, until the end of his 81-year life.

Shortly after the founding of the People’s Republic, at the repeated invitation of Mao Zedong and —, Mao Dun became the first Minister of Culture of New China, living in a three-story building in the Ministry of Culture dormitory compound. Later, due to his age and difficulty climbing stairs, Mao Dun and his family found the current house in Houyuan'ensi.

This is a century-old compound. Judging by the double-eaved rafters on the old house, its residents during the Qing Dynasty were at least of fourth-rank official status or higher. However, over the years, through the Republican era and after the liberation, the house was renovated into a more spacious and livable home. There is no second gate between the front and back courtyards; instead, access is through a small passage made of blue bricks in the northeast corner of the front courtyard.

Architectural Features

In the back courtyard, only the north room is part of the original structure, with small red-brick side rooms added later. This north room is divided into four sections: the westernmost room was for Mao Dun’s young granddaughter, followed by the reception room where he met close friends. Next to the sofa in the reception room is a white-painted refrigerator with a peculiar design—the cooling unit is on top, resembling a large hat. It was later discovered that—

the refrigeration device of first-generation refrigerators was located on the top. The middle room served as Mao Dun’s bedroom. A single iron bed with white paint, along with its pillow, mattress, and sheets, remains as it was before his passing. Beside the bed is a wooden desk with a dozen pens, stacks of old newspapers, and a lamp. In his later years, due to mobility issues, Mao Dun could no longer write in the study, so he completed all his reading and writing at this desk. After the Cultural Revolution, Mao Dun stopped writing until 1976, when he decided to pen his final work—a memoir titled *The Road I’ve Traveled*. Under the light of that lamp, the elderly man wrote: “Knowing my days are numbered, everything I’ve seen, heard, and experienced flashes before me like fragmented film. Emotions swirl, yet there’s also a sense of weary resignation.” This feeling wasn’t unique to Mao Dun—anyone in their twilight years might share this bittersweet acceptance or regretful contentment. The easternmost room is the bathroom, where the “patchwork” bathrobe, described by his son Wei Tao, still hangs on the wall, as if waiting for its owner to return.

Compared to the back courtyard, the front courtyard is a complete quadrangle, with south, north, west, and east rooms. The front section has a square grape trellis, where Mao Dun once installed a swing to play with his granddaughter. The swing is gone, but the trellis remains, though its color is still withered yellow, as if it hasn’t fully awakened from winter. At the back of the courtyard stands a white plaster bust of Mao Dun.

In the past, the front courtyard was home to Mao Dun’s son and daughter-in-law, his secretary, and his bodyguard. Now, the west wing room remains his book collection room, with thousands of volumes neatly arranged on five shelves, some of which—foreign translations from the 1920s and 1930s—may now be unique. The north room and east wing room have been turned into the “First Exhibition Room” and “Second Exhibition Room” of the “Mao Dun Former Residence,” showcasing all his literary works, including translations, numerous photos and albums, as well as items like ink pads and teacups he used. A stopped Shanghai-brand pocket watch still dutifully serves as an exhibit. The west side of the north room is the residence office, and next to the west book collection room is a small reception room where Mao Dun met unfamiliar guests.

In the front courtyard, besides the “Mao Dun Former Residence,” another organization has an office there: the China Mao Dun Research Association, located in the south room. Established in 1983, literary giants such as Ye Ziming, Zhou Yang, Feng Mu, and Kong Luosun once gathered here to reminisce about the elder. Today, the association’s academic research continues, but due to the limited space and outdated facilities, the south room is no longer used as an office or meeting area. It remains locked, with conference-style furnishings and pots of thriving spider plants.

Address: No. 13, Houyuan'ensi Hutong, Jiaodaokou South Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing

Type: Celebrity Former Residence

Recommended Visit Duration: About 1 hour

Phone: 010-64040520

Opening Hours:

9:00–16:00, closed on Mondays.

Ticket Information:

Free admission.

Mao Dun (July 4, 1896 – March 27, 1981), originally named Shen Dehong, used the pen names Mao Dun, Langsun, Xuanzhu, Fangbi, Zhijing, Pulao, Weiming, Shen Zhongfang, and Shen Mingfu, with the courtesy name Yanbing. He was from Tongxiang, Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province.

Mao Dun was born into a family with rather progressive ideas and received a modern education from an early age. He later enrolled in the preparatory course at Peking University, and after graduation, joined the Commercial Press, where he embarked on the path of reforming Chinese literature and art. He was a pioneer of the New Culture Movement and a founding figure of revolutionary literature in China.

Mao Dun was also a...  Mao Dun – More Information++

Further Reading:

· Beijing’s Third Batch of Municipal-Level Cultural Relics Protection Units