Ma Xiaojun’s Villa

Ma Xiaojun’s Villa

Ma Xiaojun’s Villa is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Ma Xiaojun’s Villa

Ma Xiaojun’s Villa, also known as “Citang Grand House,” is located in Citang Village, Songshan Town, about 23 kilometers northwest of Rong County’s county seat. Facing south and built against a mountain, the villa is fronted by open fields and clear rivers, with verdant distant hills in view.

The residence was built by Ma Xiaojun in 1919 and features a four-courtyard, four-corridor architectural style. From afar, it looks remarkably majestic and magnificent, while up close, it conveys a sense of solemn dignity.

The villagers have always held Mr. Ma Xiaojun in high esteem, which is why the “Citang Grand House,” despite the vicissitudes of time, has remained largely intact. In the early years after liberation, the property was confiscated by the state according to local policy. In 1987, following the implementation of overseas Chinese housing policies, most of the house was returned to the descendants of Mr. Ma for their residence. Currently, nine households of other surnames still live within this grand courtyard complex.

It is worth mentioning that during the Republican era, four generals emerged from the Ma family ancestral hall. A single family producing four generals is unprecedented in Rong County and likely rare even across the nation.

Ma Xiaojun (1881–1959), styled Handong and also known as Zhanhong, was a native of Rong County. He became a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations) in the 30th year of the Guangxu reign during the Qing Dynasty (1904) and was selected by Guangxi to study at the Baoding Army Rapid Training School. In the 34th year of Guangxu (1908), he was sent by the Qing Dynasty’s Ministry of War to the Japanese Imperial Army’s Infantry School for a three-year preparatory course, where he became an enlisted student and joined the Tongmenghui in Tokyo. After returning to China, he participated in the Xinhai Revolution and served as a staff officer at the Nanjing Garrison Government and as captain of the student army. In 1912, he returned to Guangxi and joined the Old Gui clique, serving as a staff officer in a mixed brigade. After the failure of the “Second Revolution” in 1913, he secretly went back to Japan to enter the Army Officers’ Academy... More details about Ma Xiaojun ++