Huang Xuchu's Villa

Huang Xuchu's Villa

Huang Xuchu's Villa is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Huang Xuchu's Villa

In Rong County, Guangxi’s largest hometown of overseas Chinese, although Huang Shaoxu is far more famous than Huang Xuchu, when it comes to villas, it is Huang Xuchu's Villa that enjoys greater renown. Why is this so? Because the Rong County Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference still uses Huang Xuchu's Villa today—it shares the same compound as the Rong County Party Committee building to its west. As long as you go to the Rong County Party Committee to handle business, as soon as you walk through the main gate, you will see a two-story building with distinct Western architectural style on the right—that is the widely renowned Huang Xuchu's Villa.

Huang Xuchu's Villa has a distinctive exterior, but its shape is even more eye-catching. This is because its form resembles a pistol, giving off an aura of quiet authority. Therefore, some say that Huang Xuchu's Villa is a building that always appears very imposing—and there is some truth to that.

The attention drawn to Huang Xuchu's Villa may stem from its own charm or perhaps from its location in a bustling area. It faces east and sits west, with the lively city to its east and also to its south, taking full advantage of a prime location and thus stealing the spotlight. Of course, this two-story brick-and-wood Western-style house with a pistol-shaped floor plan and courtyard design has many captivating features in its layout. From its initial construction until the early 1990s, the villa’s entrance faced east toward the street, with the main structure situated in the middle of the courtyard. Within the limited space, the villa is divided into northern and southern sections, with the southern building as the main house. It has a width of three bays and a depth of two bays, with the southern wall built into a semi-hexagonal shape, giving it a rather delicate appearance. On the second floor, there is a small balcony on the eastern side, with railings made of black wrought iron featuring simple yet unique lines. At the rear western side of the house is an L-shaped veranda, which is very intriguing whether viewed from afar or up close. The northern building is built adjacent to the southern one, consisting of four long cylindrical rooms. Both the upper and lower floors on the eastern side have verandas, and the overall layout is irregular. The entire villa embodies a typical Western-inspired architectural style. Meanwhile, two tall mango trees planted in the garden add to the villa’s serene, elegant, and vibrant atmosphere.

Huang Xuchu (1892–1975), from Rong County. He studied with his father in his early years, then attended Rong County’s Simple Teachers’ School and Cangwu’s Changzhou Silkworm Industry School. After the outbreak of the Xinhai Revolution, he joined the revolutionary army. In 1912, he was admitted to the Guangxi Army Rapid Training School, where he was a classmate of Li Zongren. In 1913, he was admitted to the Chinese Army University and graduated in 1916, after which he served as an aide-de-camp to Warlord Tan Haoming. Due to his outstanding management and training abilities, in 1917 he was appointed as a company commander of the Guangxi Army Model Battalion and participated in the Constitutional Protection War. Soon after, he became a battalion adjutant. In 1919, he was promoted to regimental adjutant. In the summer of 1920, he participated in the movement to overthrow Lu Rongting’s rule... More details about Huang Xuchu ++