Former Residence of Du Shoutian

Former Residence of Du Shoutian

The former residence of Du Shoutian is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction and a cultural relics protection unit of Shandong Province.

The former residence of Du Shoutian is located on South Street, Binbei Subdistrict Office, Bincheng District. It was the ancestral home of the prestigious Du family, to which Du Shoutian—the “Imperial Tutor of an Era”—belonged. The family mansion was commonly known as “Du Mansion.” At the entrance stands a wooden memorial archway, with horizontal plaques reading “Residence of the Grand Tutor” and “Residence of the Prime Minister” hanging above the gate, and plaques inside the entrance hall inscribed with titles such as “Residence of the Grand Administrator,” “Second Place in the Provincial Exam,” “Palace Graduate,” and “Father-Son, Uncle-Nephew, Brothers All Hanlin Scholars.” The entire complex is a large traditional courtyard covering 14 mu (approximately 2.3 acres), comprising 28 smaller courtyards and over 380 rooms including reception halls, main houses, women’s quarters, side rooms, and ancestral halls. Later, only the women’s quarters, reception halls, some main houses, and side rooms remained. One building is a two-story structure with a flush gable roof, built with brick and wood, featuring three bays in width, believed to be the young ladies’ quarters; other buildings are also brick-and-wood structures with flush gable roofs, now in a state of disrepair. In 1985, it was listed as a county-level cultural relics protection unit. It was among the first batch of municipal-level cultural relics protection units announced in 2004. In October 2013, it was designated as a fourth batch provincial-level cultural relics protection unit by the People's Government of Shandong Province. In the spring of 2006, the cultural relics management office organized specialists to interview informed individuals and documented the original appearance of the residence. With the help of elders Zhao Mengxiang and Du Guirong (18th-generation descendants of the Du family), Sun Yuliang drew a floor plan of the Du residence and wrote an introductory description, meticulously recording every part of the original structure and its architectural style. This documentation is now preserved at the cultural relics management office. After restoration and reconstruction, the site was opened to the public on April 27, 2010, and was awarded national AAAA-level tourist attraction status by the National Tourism Administration in 2010.

The Du family had been a prominent clan since the Ming Dynasty. By the late Qing Dynasty, the family had produced 12 successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations. Du Shoutian’s eighth-generation ancestor, Du Shi, achieved the jinshi degree in the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty (year of Wuxu), was honored as Tongfeng Dafu (a high-ranking official title), and served as Left Provincial Administration Commissioner of Huguang and Provincial Administration Commissioner of Jiangxi, among other posts. Du Shi’s grandson, Du Shuang, obtained the jinshi degree in the Shunzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty (year of Dinghai), was honored as Zhongxian Dafu, and once served as a judicial officer in Zhengding Prefecture, Zhili. Shuang’s grandson, Du Zi, earned the jinshi degree in the Qianlong reign (year of Dingsi) and was honored as Fengzhi Dafu. Zi’s grandson, Du E, along with his son Du Shoutian, Shoutian’s son Du Han, Du Qiaoyu, and Qiaoyu’s son Du Tingshen, all achieved jinshi degrees and entered the Hanlin Academy, earning the contemporary title of “Five Generations of Hanlin Scholars.” Du E, Du Shoutian, and Du Han held the positions of Minister of Rites, Minister of Personnel, and Grand Councilor respectively, with Du Shoutian even being selected as the tutor of Emperor Xianfeng.

Customer Service Phone: 0543-3561688

Address: South Street Neighborhood Committee, Binbei Subdistrict Office, Bincheng District, Binzhou City

Business Hours: 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Visiting Time: Approximately 2 hours

Price: 50 RMB per person

Featured Attractions: Hall of Loyalty and Filial Piety, Hall of Hanlin Scholars, Main Courtyard, Residence of Taikang, Hall of Jude

Tour Route: Main Gate – Second Gate – Hall of Loyalty and Filial Piety – Hall of Hanlin Scholars – Main Courtyard – Residence of Taikang – Hall of Jude – Miscellaneous Courtyard – Women’s Quarters – Kitchen – Hall of Rongde – Jingming Mountain House – Datong Inn

Binbei Subdistrict: Binbei Subdistrict is located 12 kilometers north of the Bincheng District government seat in Binzhou City, Shandong Province. It lies south of the Yellow River and north of Zhanhua County, Shandong Province, covering a total area of 161.1 square kilometers. It governs 154 administrative villages with a total population of 82,000, including 24,000 urban residents. Historically the site of the ancient Binzhou city, it served as the seat of Bohai County during the Tang Dynasty and became the prefectural seat when Binzhou was established in the Xiande era of the Later Zhou Dynasty during the Five Dynasties period. In 1913, the prefecture was changed to a county, making it the seat of Bin County government. In 1984, it became the seat of Bincheng Town government. In 2001, Bincheng Town and Zhangji Township merged to form Binbei Town, 20… More detailed information about Binbei Subdistrict++

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Cultural Relics Protection Units in Shandong Province