Former Residence of Qian Jibo

Former Residence of Qian Jibo

The former residence of Qian Jibo is a cultural tourism attraction.

The former residence of Qian Jibo is located on the campus of Hubei Institute of Fine Arts. Built in 1936, it is a two-story brick-and-wood building with wooden flooring inside, covering a total floor area of 630 square meters. It was the home of the cultural figure Qian Jibo from 1946 to 1957.

This building, also known as Puyuan, was the former residence of the famous sinologist and educator Qian Jibo (father of Qian Zhongshu).

Qian Jibo, a native of Wuxi, Jiangsu, was gifted and well-educated, having written an extensive 40,000-word treatise titled “On the General Geographic Situation of China” at the age of 16, which was published in New Citizen Journal edited by Liang Qichao. The industrialist and top imperial examination scholar Zhang Jian, after reading Qian’s work, exclaimed in admiration, “North of the Yangtze River, I have never seen anyone who could compare to him!”

Qian Jibo successively served as a professor at Tsinghua University, Zhejiang University, and the private Huazhong University. Puyuan was originally a newly built apartment complex by the private Huazhong University (now Central China Normal University). Its first resident was an American professor with blue eyes and a hooked nose. In 1946, Qian Jibo became its new occupant and spent the last 11 years of his life here. During this time, he donated over 20,000 volumes of books from his personal collection to the university library.

This two-story brick-and-wood structure features an eclectic-style American garden villa design, with a total floor area of 630 square meters. It has a Chinese-style roof, semi-circular archways, slender high windows, and a chimney from the fireplace, all reflecting a blend of Chinese and Western architectural elements.

The room where Qian Jibo lived has been transformed into an “art salon.” The preserved original fireplace echoes with vintage ceiling fans and windows, where artistic elegance pays tribute to historical charm. Faculty and students of the art academy enjoy immersing themselves in the atmosphere here, “often chatting so much that they forget the time.”

In front of the small building, the shade of a 300-year-old Chinese hackberry tree drapes down, casting a green tint over the windows.

Qian Jibo, born in 1887 and passed away on November 30, 1957, also known by his courtesy name Ziquan and alias Qianlu, was a native of Wuxi, Jiangsu, China. He was a classical literature scholar and educator who was involved in revolutionary activities in his early years.

In 1913, he served as a teacher of literature, history, and geography at Wuxi County No. 1 Primary School. In 1918, he became the director of Wuxi County Library. After 1920, he worked as a Chinese language teacher at Lize Girls’ Middle School in Wujiang, and as a Chinese and Classics teacher and academic dean at Jiangsu Provincial Third Normal School (now Wuxi Higher Normal School). After 1923, he held positions such as Chinese professor at St. John’s University in Shanghai and Chinese professor at Tsinghua University in Beijing… More details about Qian Jibo ++