Cao Yu Ancestral Home Museum

Cao Yu Ancestral Home Museum

The Cao Yu Ancestral Home Museum is located by Machang Lake, the site of Cao Yu’s ancestral home, within the large-scale tourist and leisure park Meiyuan. It was completed in October 2010. The building was constructed based on the descriptions in the "Wan Family Genealogy · Ancestral Home," covering a construction area of 3,065 square meters, with a structure and layout largely consistent with Cao Yu’s ancestral home in the early years of the Republic of China.

Cao Yu’s ancestors were a family of farmers and scholars. During the Ming Dynasty’s Wanli era, amid widespread unrest, Wan Bang, a military officer from Nanchang Prefecture in Jiangxi, took up an official post in Qianjiang, Hubei. He was drawn to the genuine warmth of the place, married a local Qianjiang woman named Yang, and never left again. From then on, this branch of the Wan family thrived in Qianjiang. Over the years, the family grew in size and branches multiplied. However, starting with Cao Yu’s great-great-grandfather, they hardly ever moved out of their original residence to settle elsewhere, only expanding the house as the family grew. Cao Yu’s ancestral home was initially built during the Ming Dynasty, and after successive expansions, by the early years of the Republic of China, it comprised several traditional-style buildings facing south, covering over ten acres of land. It was destroyed during the war in 1939.

The original Wan family generational poem was “Yi Shi Ren Guo, Mu Shi Jin Ting, Shi Ji Wen De, Jia He En Guang” (十六 characters: “邑世人国，木仕金廷，时际文德，家荷恩光”). The documented generations start from the sixth generation, Wan Shi Hong. The seventh generation, Wan Kun, pursued Confucian studies and earned multiple academic honors and imperial commendations. However, by the time of Cao Yu’s great-grandfather, Wan Shixu, the family fortunes began to decline. His great-grandfather, Wan Jiyun, and grandfather, Wan Qiweng, both made a living by running private schools, living in poverty and hardship. Cao Yu’s father, Wan Dezun, was from the twelfth generation. His son, Wan Jiabao, who adopted the pen name Cao Yu, created monumental literary works that gained fame in the literary world.

According to the "Wan Family Genealogy," the descendants of the family spread out, residing both inside and outside the county town, as well as in areas east of the river, with some branching out across provinces and municipalities nationwide, even reaching as far as North America. The total number of households is no less than a thousand. Wan Degang, current Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Chairman of the Central Committee of the China Zhi Gong Party, and Minister of Science and Technology, shares the same paternal uncle with Cao Yu’s father, Wan Dezun. Wan Gang is the fifth-generation direct descendant of Cao Yu’s great-great-granduncle, Wan Shirui.

The exhibition route of the Cao Yu Ancestral Home Museum follows the layout of 26 rooms in Cao Yu’s ancestral home, including the “Hall Room,” “Main Hall,” “Dexin Hall,” “Private School,” “Wan Dezun’s Bedroom,” “Flower Hall,” and “Platform Room.” The displays include the “Wan Family Genealogy” and over 400 sets (pieces) of household items and farming tools left by Cao Yu’s ancestors. Additionally, a dedicated exhibition room showcases over 70 cultural items related to intangible cultural heritage in Qianjiang that are listed at the national and provincial levels, such as Jingzhou Flower Drum Opera, Jianghan Plains Shadow Puppetry, Qianjiang Folk Songs, Qianjiang Wood Carving, and Qianjiang Lanterns. Replicas of historic couplets from famous scenic spots in old Qianjiang are also integrated into the exhibits.

The Cao Yu Ancestral Home Museum is situated at the heart of “Meiyuan,” together forming an architectural complex rich in Qianjiang’s regional characteristics and modern cultural flavor, along with the Cao Yu Playwriting Award Creation Center of the Chinese Dramatists Association, the Plum Blossom Award Art Exchange Center of the Chinese Dramatists Association, and the Cao Yu Grand Theater.

Contact number: 0728-6231208

Cao Yu (1910–1996), originally named Wan Jiabao, courtesy name Xiaoshi, was a native of Qianjiang. He was one of the pioneers of China’s New Culture Movement, one of the founders of Chinese spoken drama, a renowned drama educator in China, and an outstanding modern master of drama. His tormented soul found nirvana at 3:55 AM on December 13, 1996, leaving behind immortal achievements that will be forever remembered in history.

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