Former Residence of Zhang Yanshan

Former Residence of Zhang Yanshan

The Former Residence of Zhang Yanshan is a cultural relic protection unit of Shandong Province.

The Former Residence of Zhang Yanshan is situated in Shaojiagang Village, Ninghai Subdistrict Office, Muping District, Yantai City, at 121°36′ east longitude and 37°24′ north latitude. It is about 800 meters east of the Qingshui River and roughly 1,200 meters southeast of Duanyue Mountain. Constructed in the 1930s, the site now includes two compounds—one upper and one lower—both facing south, comprising a total of 110 rooms and covering an area of 3,280 square meters.

The Upper Compound of the Former Residence of Zhang Yanshan consists of two interconnected two-courtyard quadrangle dwellings aligned east-west. The eastern courtyard is known as Haopu Hall, while the western one is called Cungu Hall, each with 22 rooms. The architectural style, structure, materials, and design of both courtyards are identical—featuring flush gable roofs, yin-yang tile roofing, and beam-frame construction. The southern hall in each courtyard has seven rooms: the eastern two serve as the gatehouse, with the westernmost room of the gatehouse functioning as the entrance corridor. The main gate has both outer and inner doors—the outer being a double-leaf sliding iron grille gate adorned with wrought-iron decorations, and the inner a solid double-leaf wooden door with carved floral patterns on its lintel, featuring three transom panels in the middle, the central one engraved with a circular design. The stone door sill supports a pair of sculpted stone lion door knockers. To the west are four rooms serving as a sitting room, with a lath-and-plaster ceiling, lime-trimmed eaves, and light niches in the central and western sections, yellow-painted walls, and imported patterned cement floor tiles. The southern side has four windows, the middle two of which are triple-glazed: the outer layer consists of imported wrought-iron security grilles, the middle wooden lattice, and the inner double-glazed windows. The east and west windows are small wooden-lattice eave windows. The northern windows are all double-layered—the inner layer double-glazed, the outer wooden framed. The doors are also double-layered: inner solid wooden doors and outer glazed lattice doors. The courtyard floor is paved with stone slabs and equipped with a drainage system underneath, including intricately carved stone coin-shaped floor drains. Wastewater is discharged through a hidden drain beneath the western wall of the corridor in the southern hall. Opposite the main gate is a screen wall built with brick in a wood-like structure on a Sumeru pedestal. Its mid-section is clad with polished white marble, and the four corners feature carved brickwork. The roof is a flush gable style with tubular tiles, its eaves high and upturned, decorated with interlocking brackets. The white plaster between the brackets is painted with motifs such as the Four Arts, the Four Tones, Eight Immortals, and floral designs—a stunning combination of painting and carving, representing the finest brickwork of the entire complex. To the west of the screen wall is a moon gate with a flush gable and rolled shed roof of tubular tiles, its upturned eaves adorned with carved mirror and coping bricks. The gate is supported by cement pillars and features four pairs of hinged screen doors, lotus-shaped hanging beads, and intricately carved brackets and lintel ornaments depicting symbols of luck such as fu (prosperity), lu (wealth), shou (longevity), pine, bamboo, and plum. A hidden drainage channel is located under the foundation to the west of the gate. Beyond the moon gate lies the second courtyard. The eastern wing has four rooms used as a kitchen, with a money-shaped ventilator window above the stove and an underground cellar in front of the heated brick bed. The western wing also has four rooms: the southernmost is an old-style wooden-bucket toilet with exposed beams and rafters and a large ventilator window on the roof; the northern three rooms are living quarters. The main house has seven rooms, with entrances on the east and west sides. Its ceiling is lath-and-plaster, and the room opposite the central doors features lime-trimmed eaves and light niches on all sides, as well as light niches in the southern and northern sections. The floor is covered with imported patterned cement tiles. The north-south central axis of the main house is punctuated by six evenly spaced square wooden inner columns, dividing the space into seven rooms. The “T”-shaped pathway in the second courtyard is paved with cement, embossed with money motifs and designed with drainage slopes. The surrounding paths are also cemented, featuring diagonal grid patterns. A cement drainage ditch runs along the western side of the western wing, and a smaller stone-lined drain is located near the courtyard’s center. Exiting through the northern door of the main house leads to the backyard, a space about three meters wide enclosed by tall walls. Wastewater from the backyard is drained via a hidden channel under the northern door of the main house to the second courtyard and then expelled.

The Lower Compound of the Former Residence of Zhang Yanshan is located 3.7 meters east of the Upper Compound and is situated approximately 27.4 meters further south. Though built slightly earlier than the Upper Compound and using fewer new materials, its scale and architectural form are comparable, if not superior. The compound consists of two interconnected three-courtyard quadrangle dwellings aligned east-west, housing a total of 33 rooms. Both courtyards share the same architectural style, structure, and design—flush gable roofs, yin-yang tile roofing, and beam-frame construction. The southern hall has seven rooms, similar to that in the Upper Compound, though the westernmost end of the first courtyard includes a small toilet near the northern wall. Opposite the southern hall’s main gate is a screen wall, with a moon gate to its west, both matching those in the Upper Compound in style. Entering through the moon gate leads to the second courtyard, which has four rooms in the western wing and five rooms in the main house, with a square stone-paved drainage apron in front of the main house. The main house door faces the moon gate; inside, the ceiling is lath-and-plaster, with lime-trimmed eaves and three evenly spaced light niches in the east, center, and west. The floor is covered with imported patterned cement tiles, and there is a side door through the northeast corner. The “+”-shaped pathway in the second courtyard is paved with square stones, connected to the western wing’s drainage apron and featuring a small stone-paved curb along the courtyard side. The middle section of the western wall houses a small gate tower with a flush gable and rolled shed roof of yin-yang tiles, a solid double-leaf wooden door, and access to a north-south pathway. To the east of the screen wall is a north-south pathway leading to the third courtyard, paved with stone slabs. To the east of this pathway is the eastern wing, consisting of four rooms. The northern end of the pathway connects to a corridor room attached to the main house of the second courtyard, which has a solid double-leaf wooden door with intricately carved brackets and lintel floral motifs. Opposite the corridor in the third courtyard is a wall-mounted screen, integrated with the southern wall of the western wing, resembling the screen wall in the front courtyard, with projecting eaves and bracket carvings. To the west of this screen is a moon gate with a roof of rolled shed tubular tiles, cement pillars, lotus-shaped hanging beads, and carved floral motifs on its brackets. West of the moon gate is a toilet. Entering the moon gate leads to the third courtyard, which has four rooms each in the eastern and western wings, and a main house with seven rooms. The front of the main house has a square stone-paved drainage apron and small stone curbs. Inside, the ceiling is wooden-lattice and lath-plastered, with lime-trimmed eaves. The western side has a northern door; exiting northward leads to a backyard about three meters wide, enclosed by tall walls. The pathways in the third courtyard are paved with stone slabs and edged with small stone curbs.

Significance of the Former Residence

The Former Residence of Zhang Yanshan is grand in scale, ingeniously designed, exquisitely crafted, and made with premium materials. All rooms in both compounds are tall and spacious, built with grey-brick walls and grey-tiled roofs, atop stone plinths. The east and west courtyards are connected but do not share ridgelines. The space beneath the indoor flooring is filled with about one meter of fine river sand for moisture isolation, while the door and window frames are made of grey brick on the sides and red brick with Western-style arched tops on the upper sections, providing a harmonious color scheme. Below the window sills, the walls are entirely constructed from finely processed grey stone, with the gable walls of the southern hall and main house built with stone up to the eaves, lending a solemn and majestic appearance. Overall, the residence retains the dignified symmetry and traditional layout of classical Chinese quadrangle dwellings, while incorporating the smooth lines and bright colors characteristic of Western architecture. The primary materials are traditional Chinese brick, tile, stone, and wood, complemented by imported and fashionable elements such as wrought iron, patterned colored cement floor tiles, and polished marble surfaces. The entire structure is stately, elegant, magnificent, and luxurious. Particularly noteworthy are its brick carvings—ornate yet not excessive, delicate yet not extravagant—which absorb the essence of both northern and southern carving traditions, offering significant aesthetic value. Experts have confirmed that this building integrates Chinese and Western styles, blends the best of northern and southern craftsmanship, and represents the pinnacle of residential architecture in eastern Shandong during the early Republican period, making it of immense cultural relic value.

Conservation Status

In July 2001, the Former Residence of Zhang Yanshan was designated as a Provincial-Level Outstanding Historical Building. In April 2004, the Yantai Municipal People’s Government listed it as a Municipal-Level Key Cultural Relic Protection Unit. In 2006, it was proclaimed a Third Batch Provincial-Level Key Cultural Relic Protection Unit by the Shandong Provincial People’s Government.

Ninghai Subdistrict: The seat of the People’s Government of Muping District. Located in the northern part of the district, bordering the Yellow Sea to the north. Covers an area of 36.64 square kilometers with a population of 65,000. Includes 1,154 hectares of cultivated land, governs 37 village committees and 38 natural villages. (In 2003, five villages from Ninghai Subdistrict Office and 12 villages from Wuning Town were placed under the administration of the Muping Economic and Technological Development Zone, though administrative divisions remained unchanged.) Boasts superior natural and geographical conditions, featuring hills and lakes, predominantly lakes. Named after the historical Ninghai Prefecture of the Jin, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. It is the political, economic, and cultural hub of Muping. Major agricultural products include wheat, corn... More details about Ninghai Subdistrict ++

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Shandong Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units