Former Residence of Zheng Guanying

Former Residence of Zheng Guanying

The former residence of Zheng Guanying is a protected cultural heritage site of Guangdong Province.

The former residence of Zheng Guanying is located in Yongmo Village, Sanxiang Town, Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province. Built in the 29th year of the Guangxu reign during the Qing Dynasty (1903), it faces south and features a northern orientation, constructed with a brick-and-timber structure in the flush-gable style. It consists of two courtyards, front and back, with a central patio that was enclosed and converted into living quarters, covering an area of approximately 204.5 square meters.

In 1903, Zheng Guanying funded the construction of the residence for his father, Zheng Wenrui. Currently, the lintel of the residence is inlaid with a stone plaque measuring 2.35 meters in length and 65 centimeters in width, featuring the four characters “Xiù Fēng Jiā Shú” (Scholar’s Studio of Xiufeng) carved in intaglio regular script, with the inscription “Erected in the First Month of the 29th Year of Guangxu.” The residence also features grey relief carvings and wall paintings. Inside the house, there are preserved hollow-carved wooden spirit towers and altars, decorated with carvings of figures, flowers, birds, lions, and more, showcasing the carving art characteristics of the Qing Dynasty in Zhongshan. There are also two damaged wooden plaques inside: one reading “Commissioned by Imperial Decree to Investigate Affairs in Siam” and the other “Commissioned by Imperial Order as the Left River Military Defense Circuit Magistrate of Guangxi.” The residence is currently managed and inhabited by Zheng Futian and is well preserved.

Zheng Guanying (1842–1921) was one of China’s most renowned early bourgeois reformist thinkers, educators, and industrialists, an outstanding representative of reformism in modern Chinese history, and the author of *Words of Warning in a Prosperous Age*.

Current Condition of the Residence

The former residence of Zheng Guanying is located in Yongmo Village, Sanxiang Town. Zheng Guanying (1842–1921) was one of China’s most renowned early bourgeois reformist thinkers, educators, and industrialists, an outstanding representative of reformism in modern Chinese history, and the author of *Words of Warning in a Prosperous Age*.

The former residence of Zheng Guanying was built in the 29th year of the Guangxu reign (1903) and was constructed by Zheng Guanying and his brothers to commemorate the 10th anniversary of their father Zheng Wenrui’s passing. During his youth, Zheng Guanying studied the Four Books and Five Classics with his father in Yongmo Village. The residence faces south and is built with a brick-and-timber structure in the flush-gable style, consisting of two courtyards. The current lintel of the residence is inlaid with a stone plaque measuring 2.35 meters in length and 0.65 meters in width, featuring the four characters “Xiù Fēng Jiā Shú” (Scholar’s Studio of Xiufeng) carved in intaglio regular script. The interior preserves hollow-carved wooden spirit towers and altars, decorated with carvings of figures, flowers, birds, lions, and more, showcasing the carving art characteristics of the Qing Dynasty in Zhongshan. At the former residence of Zheng Guanying, there is a photo exhibition on Zheng Guanying’s life, documentaries introducing Zheng Guanying, and interactive touchscreens providing information about his thoughts. The two wooden plaques reading “Commissioned by Imperial Decree to Investigate Affairs in Siam” and “Commissioned by Imperial Order as the Left River Military Defense Circuit Magistrate of Guangxi” are valuable historical relics. In February 2008, the Zhongshan Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, and Tourism renovated the residence, which has since been officially opened to the public. Since the end of 2007, Zhongshan City has invested heavily in the restoration of the former residence of Zheng Guanying in Yongmo Village, Sanxiang Town. The official opening of the residence marks a new cultural attraction in Zhongshan.

Historical Anecdotes of the Residence

This residence is a single-story building made of blue bricks and carved wood, facing south with a north-south orientation and a brick-and-timber structure, divided into two courtyards. Upon entering the first gate, you will find an elegant small courtyard.

Standing in the small courtyard and looking up, you will see the four gilded characters “Xiù Fēng Jiā Shú” (Scholar’s Studio of Xiufeng) shining brightly, with the inscription “Erected in the First Month of the 29th Year of Guangxu,” which are said to have been written by Zheng Guanying himself and are well preserved.

Stepping into the main hall of the former residence of Zheng Guanying, you can see hollow-carved wooden spirit towers and altars, all adorned with patterns of figures, flowers, birds, lions, and more, exuding an antique charm and representing typical Qing Dynasty carving art from Zhongshan.

The “Scholar’s Studio of Xiufeng” in the former residence of Zheng Guanying was built in the 29th year of the Guangxu reign (1903) and covers an area of approximately 204.5 square meters. This location is the birthplace of Zheng Guanying, and the “Scholar’s Studio of Xiufeng” was funded and built by Zheng Guanying in 1903 in honor of his father.

In the past, the residence was used by Zheng Guanying’s descendants as a place for ancestral worship. Later, due to the large and dispersed number of descendants, the residence gradually became vacant.

For a period, the local brigade used the residence as a warehouse to store miscellaneous items. In the early 1960s, Zheng Futian, a distant relative of the Zheng family, whose own home had collapsed and left him without shelter, borrowed the residence from Zheng Guanying’s descendants.

Zheng Futian still resides in the former residence of Zheng Guanying and acts as its caretaker. However, the local government has built a separate house next to the residence, and Zheng Futian has moved out to facilitate the restoration and opening of the site. The city of Zhongshan has invested heavily in renovating the residence, which will better preserve its original appearance. After the restoration is completed, the former residence of Zheng Guanying will be officially opened to the public for the first time.

On November 8, 2008, the General Office of the People’s Government of Guangdong Province issued the “Notice on the Announcement of the Fifth Batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units,” and the former residence of Zheng Guanying was included in the list.

Location of the Attraction

Yongmo Village, Sanxiang Town, Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province

Zheng Guanying (1842–1922), also known as Guanying, with the courtesy name Zheng Zhengxiang and the pseudonym Taozhai, was a native of Xiangshan (now Zhongshan City), Guangdong. His father was a village schoolteacher. In the 8th year of the Xianfeng reign (1858), he was sent by his father to Shanghai’s Xinde Foreign Firm, where he learned business from his uncle, who worked as a comprador. The following year, through the introduction of Xu Run, he joined Dent & Co. and in the 10th year of the Xianfeng reign (1860), he became a comprador at the firm. In the 6th year of the Tongzhi reign (1867), he co-founded the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company with British merchants and was elected as a director. He also continued working for Dent & Co. The following year, when Dent & Co. ceased operations, he took a position as an interpreter at Heshengxiang Tea Firm, became a shareholder in the firm, and later... More details about Zheng Guanying++

Yongmo Village: The Yongmo Village Committee (Yōngmò Cūnmín Wěiyuánhuì) is located 3.8 kilometers northeast of the Sanxiang Town government. It administers two natural villages, with the main settlement in Yongmo Village, hence the name. Around 1949, it belonged to Donggui Township; in 1953, it was separated and called Yongmo Township. In 1958, it was divided into three brigades: Yongyi to Yongsan; in 1963, they were merged and called Yongmo Brigade. In 1983, it reverted to being called a township. In December 1986, it was renamed to its current name. It has 4,694 acres of arable land; the main crops are rice, followed by peanuts and vegetables. There are knitting factories, as well as primary schools and health stations. The town-run Bo’ai Middle... More details about Yongmo Village++

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units