Former Residence of Xiao Jimei

Former Residence of Xiao Jimei

The former residence of Xiao Jimei is a cultural relic protection unit of Hunan Province.

The former residence of Xiao Jimei is located in Deshengying Community, Jixin Town, Fenghuang County, Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Hunan Province. It was originally built in the ninth year of the Tongzhi reign during the Qing Dynasty (1870), and Xiao Jimei was born here in December 1920. Xiao Jimei was intelligent and studious from a young age. He received his early education at the Santan Academy, a provincial-level protected site, and later attended Wenchangge Primary School in Fenghuang County. In 1933, he was admitted to Mingde Middle School, a private school in Changsha, Hunan Province. In 1939, he was enrolled in the Mining and Metallurgy Department of Tangshan Engineering College at Jiaotong University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree. In February 1948, Xiao Jimei entered the School of Mines at the University of Missouri. Thanks to his remarkable intelligence and diligent study, he obtained a master’s degree in metallurgy one year later. In the winter of 1950, he earned his Ph.D. with outstanding results. After obtaining his doctorate in 1950, Mr. Xiao Jimei, upon learning about the founding of New China, was determined to return and contribute to the country's development. In 1957, after overcoming numerous obstacles imposed by the U.S. government, he finally returned to China. Xiao Jimei dedicated himself for many years to teaching and research in the fields of iron and steel metallurgy, metal materials, and metal physics. He won several awards for his research on stress corrosion and hydrogen-induced cracking of materials. In education, he advocated guiding teaching and research with dialectics of nature and scientific methodology, continuously innovating and developing academic thinking, and trained nearly 100 doctoral and master's students for China’s metallurgical science and technology industry. He authored a total of 28 metallurgical works and published more than 290 academic papers. For his outstanding contributions to education, he was honored with titles such as Outstanding Teacher at the University of Science and Technology Beijing, Advanced Worker in Beijing’s Educational System, National Model Worker in Metallurgical Education, and Outstanding Returned Overseas Chinese by the State Council. In 1980, he was elected as an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (known as Academic Division Member prior to 1993).

The former residence of Xiao Jimei faces south and covers a land area of 477.69 square meters, with a total construction area of 485.73 square meters. It features a traditional quadrangle courtyard layout with three courtyards and two entries, consisting of a main gate, front courtyard, entrance hall, central yard, corridors, main house, garden, and auxiliary buildings. The structure follows a traditional post-and-lintel timber frame with a hard mountain-style roof, built with brick and wood. The doors and windows in the courtyard are all exquisitely carved with openwork designs, featuring innovative patterns and profound cultural significance. The residence is relatively well-preserved and holds high research value.

In 2019, the former residence of Xiao Jimei was approved as part of the tenth batch of provincial-level cultural relic protection units in Hunan Province.

Deshengying Community: Deshengying Community…… More details about Deshengying Community++

Further Reading:

· Tenth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units in Hunan Province