Former Residence of Wu Yuxiang

Former Residence of Wu Yuxiang

The former residence of Wu Yuxiang is a cultural relic protection unit of Hebei Province.

The former residence of Wu Yuxiang is located on Yingchun Street in Guangfu Ancient City, covering an area of 9,200 square meters with a built-up area of 6,000 square meters. It is a structure dating back to the Daoguang era of the Qing Dynasty. Originally, the residence had 75 rooms, 42 of which still remain today. These are arranged along three north-south axes — east, middle, and west — with the buildings laid out in a well-proportioned, symmetrical fashion, featuring high ridges and flying eaves. The overall layout is rigorous, solemn, and harmonious, with the construction being exemplary. It reflects the traditional style and architectural art of ancient Chinese laboring people, and stands as one of the more intact ancient residential buildings and a precious historical relic. From 1948 to 1958, the office of the Yongnian County Committee was located here, and later, the families of cadres resided here.

The restored front part of the residence features the main gate, which faces east and is situated on the west side, with wing rooms on both sides. Outside the gate, there is a rectangular stele wall in the square. The front of the stele reads “Former Residence of Wu Yuxiang,” while the back is inscribed with “A Brief Explanation of the Thirteen Postures of Tai Chi.” Inside the gate, the ground is paved with blue bricks, creating a simple and spacious feel. The area consists of a small courtyard made up of a hanging flower gate and a sedan chair room. The western part of the sedan chair room is a study, facing south with a width of three bays, featuring eaves extending from the front. It was once the Wu family’s private school, where most of their descendants studied. Yang Banhou also studied here, but he was playful and restless, uninterested in scholarly pursuits, and later learned martial arts from Yuxiang. The northern part of the sedan chair room houses the main structure of the current Wu Yuxiang residence, divided into three north-south courtyards: the ceremonial gate, the living room, the hallway, and the bedrooms. In the first courtyard, there are two wing rooms on either side of the ceremonial gate, three wing rooms on the east and west sides respectively, and a three-bay living room. The front has overhanging eaves, supported by corridors and exposed columns. The northern living room served as a reception room, with a tall wooden screen inside the main door, painted with large designs of plum blossom, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum.

The second courtyard has three wing rooms each on the east and west, a five-bay hallway, with exposed columns, corridors, and overhanging eaves. On both sides of the courtyard are sweet and sour pomegranate trees that bear abundant fruit, weighing down the branches in the golden autumn season. The western wing room was the residence of Wu Yuxiang’s great-grandson, Wu Yuyuan, and the eastern wing room was the home of his great-great-grandson, Wu Funai. This is the largest of the three courtyards, with three wing rooms each on the east and west, and five main rooms. It includes exposed columns, corridors, and double eaves. The carved beams and painted rafters under the eaves are richly colored, depicting landscapes, flowers, birds, beasts, and green bamboo. The ridge ends of the tiled roof feature decorative animals, known as “five ridges and six beasts.” The western wing room was the residence of Wu Yuxiang’s grandson, Wu Yánxù, and the eastern wing room was where his son, Wu Yongyi, lived. The five-bay main northern room is internally divided by partition screens; the western section serves as a living area, while the eastern part functions as a small living room and study. Wu Yuxiang used to read and study boxing theories here, and drawing on years of personal insight, he wrote many theoretical works on Tai Chi and established the theoretical system of Wu-style Tai Chi. His publications include “Tai Chi Boxing Explanations,” “Key Points of Tai Chi Theory,” “Four-Character Secret Formula,” “Striking and Releasing Techniques,” and “Explanation of the Thirteen Postures.”

Aside from the structures along the central axis, the original residence also included a backyard garden and buildings along the east and west axes. The backyard garden is located southwest of the entire complex, 60 meters wide from east to west and 40 meters long from north to south. It boasts lush flowers, thriving trees, and a tranquil environment. Features include rockeries, lotus ponds, pavilions, fishponds, and a martial arts training ground, all contributing to a garden-like ambiance. It served as a leisure, entertainment, and martial arts practice spot for the family. The buildings along the east and west axes share a similar style to those on the central axis and are divided into three courtyards, each with a main house, hallway, and wing rooms. Currently, the buildings on the eastern axis have been demolished, and the open space has been replaced by residential houses. Very little remains of the western axis structures, with the vacant land now housing a large martial arts training ground. Three study rooms remain in the southern section.

In 1991, after the First Hebei · Yongnian International Tai Chi Friendship Conference, the Guangfu Office and the Guangfu Town Government raised funds to carry out the first restoration of the residence.

Later, a second round of restoration was carried out with funding from the provincial cultural relics bureau and social donations. In 2004, the Yongnian County Government undertook a large-scale renovation of the residence.

The main gate, ceremonial gate, sedan chair room, and buildings along the central axis were restored to their original appearance. The refurbished Wu Yuxiang former residence is even more solemn, elegant, exquisite, and magnificent. The five large characters “Former Residence of Wu Yuxiang” above the ceremonial gate were written by Xǔ Yǔ, Vice Chairman of the China Calligraphers Association and Chairman of the Hebei Calligraphers Association. In the northern living room of the first courtyard, there is a stone stele standing 1,812 mm tall and 1,880 mm long, along with a 69 cm-high white marble bust of Wu Yuxiang, beneath which is engraved a bilingual (Chinese-English) biography of Wu Yuxiang. The numbers 1812, 1880, and 69 correspond to Wu Yuxiang’s birth year, death year, and lifespan, symbolizing his life story through the dimensions of the stele and statue. Additionally, other courtyards of the residence feature stone steles and white marble busts of Wu-style Tai Chi successors Li Yishe, Hao Weizhen, and Li Shengduan, which are slightly smaller in size. All four steles were erected in October 2001 by Wáng Guóqiáng, a successor of Wu-style Tai Chi and President of the North American (Wu-Hao) Tai Chi Association. The eastern and western wing rooms of the second courtyard now serve as exhibition halls and display rooms. The walls feature frames with materials such as “Origins and Development of Wu-style Tai Chi,” “Brief Biographies of Wu-style Tai Chi Celebrities,” “Explanation of the Thirteen Postures,” “On Vacuity and Solidity, Opening and Closing,” “Tai Chi Boxing Explanations,” and “Five-Word Formula,” all presented with illustrations. Indoor display cases showcase artifacts used by predecessors of Wu-style Tai Chi, including swords, clothing, shoes, hats, letters, manuscripts, and artworks. The northern wall of the third courtyard features an introduction to the Wu family, and the central hall displays a bust of Wu Yuxiang. The courtyard is shaded by lush trees, including dragon claw locusts and cherry blossom trees. Two of the cherry blossom trees were brought from Japan in 1991 by Kazue Kawauchi, President of the All-Japan Tai Chi Association, during the First Hebei · Yongnian International Tai Chi Friendship Conference, and were personally planted by Jia Hongjun, then Deputy County Magistrate of Yongnian.

In 2000, the former residence of Wu Yuxiang was listed as a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit by the provincial government.

Yang Luchan (1799—1875?/1876), also known as Fu Kui, was a native of Guangping Prefecture, Zhili Province (now Yongnian County, Hebei Province). He was the first great martial artist in Chinese history to deeply promote and develop Tai Chi. Around 1840, after mastering martial arts in Chenjiagou, Wen County, Henan, Yang Luchan returned to his hometown in southern Hebei, Yongnian County, where he set up a school to teach martial arts. His exceptional skills with weapons and bare-handed techniques overwhelmed all opponents, earning the respect of local masters. Later, he was recommended to Beijing, where he served as a martial arts instructor for prominent families such as the Zhang family’s sauce workshop, as well as for the Imperial Banner Camp. In his later years, he was invited to teach at a royal mansion... [More details on Yang Luchan]

Wu Heqing, courtesy name Yuxiang (1812–1880), also known as Lianquan, was a native of Guangping Prefecture, Zhili Province during the Qing Dynasty. Wu Yuxiang’s great-grandfather, Jingyuan, held the position of Wei Qianzong as a martial arts scholar; his grandfather, Dayong, traveled to study martial arts in his youth; and his father, Lie, was a local scholar. His eldest brother, Chengqing, was a successful candidate in the imperial examinations and served as the magistrate of Wuyang County, Henan; his second brother, Ruying, was a Jinshi (advanced scholar) and served as an external member of the Sichuan Division of the Ministry of Justice.

Coming from a distinguished family, Yuxiang was well-read and had remarkable literary talent. Although he did not achieve prominence through imperial examinations, his abilities and ambitions earned him the esteem of local officials, who frequently invited him to serve — invitations he always declined, citing family responsibilities.

A fellow townsman, Yang Luchan, went to Chenjiagou, Wen County, Henan to study Tai Chi... [More details on Wu Heqing]

Further Reading:

· First Batch of Municipal-Level Cultural Relic Protection Units in Handan City