Baoding Guangyuan

Baoding Guangyuan

Baoding Guangyuan is a cultural relic protection unit of Hebei Province.

Guangyuan is located on Yuhua Road in the city center. In 1917, after Cao Kun became the military governor of Zhili, he converted the former Zhili Circuit Intendant's Prison Office into a guesthouse, which actually served as his private residence. Admiring the heroic legacy of Qi Jiguang, he named the guesthouse Guangyuan.

At that time, it served as the headquarters of the Zhili warlords. Cao Kun, Wu Peifu, and others planned the Zhili-Anhui and Zhili-Fengtian Wars here. Cao Kun also orchestrated the farce of buying votes for the presidency here, until he was inaugurated as the President of the Beijing Government and the Zhili warlord headquarters moved from Baoding to Beijing. In addition, important figures such as Zhang Zuolin and Zhang Xueliang of the Fengtian warlords, Yan Xishan, Commander of the Beijing-Tianjin Garrison, Qian Dajun, Director of the Baoding Field Headquarters, and Chiang Kai-shek, also resided here at various times.

In May 2013, Baoding Guangyuan was listed as part of the seventh batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level.

Cao Kun, courtesy name Zhongshan, was a native of Tianjin, Zhili. He was the leader of the Zhili warlords during the Beiyang period and the fifth President of the Republic of China (who ascended to the presidency in October 1923 through vote-buying, hence known as the "vote-buying president"), as well as a First Class General of the National Revolutionary Army (posthumously awarded by the National Military Council on June 14, 1938).

Cao Kun attended a private school for several years in his childhood. At the age of 16, he pushed a cart to sell cloth in rural areas. Due to his fondness for pleasure-seeking, his business eventually failed. In 1881, when Yuan Shikai was recruiting soldiers in Xiaozhan, he enlisted. Soon afterward, he was selected to study at the Tianjin Military Academy. In 189… [More details about Cao Kun++]

Qi Jiguang, courtesy name Yuanjing, art name Nantang, was a native of Dengzhou, Shandong. He was born in 1528 during the Ming Dynasty’s Jiajing era. His father, Jingtong, held various official positions including Commander-in-Chief and once acted as the acting head of the Daning Regional Command. Qi Jiguang studied both literature and martial arts from a young age. After his father passed away at the age of 17, he inherited his position as an officer in the Dengzhou Guard of Shandong. At the time, Japanese pirates frequently raided the southeastern coastal regions. Qi Jiguang once wrote a poem expressing his aspiration: “I do not seek a noble title, but only wish for the sea to be calm.” In 1553 (the 32nd year of the Jiajing reign), he was promoted to acting Commander-in-Chief and reorganized the three battalions and 25 guard posts under his command, strengthening training and fortifying Shandong’s maritime defenses, which deterred pirate invasions. … [More details about Qi Jiguang++]

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Hebei Province

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