Nanquan Anti-Japanese War Sites Cluster

Nanquan Anti-Japanese War Sites Cluster

The Nanquan Anti-Japanese War Sites Cluster is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Era: 1938–1946

Type: Important Modern Historical Sites and Representative Buildings

Region: Banan District, Chongqing

Batch: Seventh Batch

1. Former Site of Lin Sen’s Villa: Situated in Huxiao Village, Nanquan Subdistrict, Banan District, Chongqing, approximately 120 meters southwest of Changnan Bridge at the northern foot of Jianwen Peak. Constructed in 1937, it faces west to east, overlooking Huxiao Pass, backed by Jianwen Peak, and adjacent to the “Kong Xiangxi Official Residence,” surrounded by lush greenery. The building consists of 15 rooms of various sizes, covering a land area of 509㎡ and a construction area of 994㎡, with an overall height of 13.5 meters. The main structure features a blend of Chinese and Western architectural styles, in gray tones, built with brick and wood, and topped with a single-eave hip-and-gable roof covered with plain small blue tiles. It has one above-ground floor, one basement level, with the basement constructed entirely of strip stones. It served multiple functions including accommodation, office work, and air raid shelter. The interior includes fireplaces connected to internal walls that provided heating to all rooms, and one room has an embedded cabinet. This building was one of the main official residences of Lin Sen, Chairman of the Nationalist Government, in Chongqing. Its architecture and surrounding environment have been well preserved, making it an anti-war site of significant historical value.

2. Former Site of Kong Xiangxi’s Official Residence: Located within Kong Garden in the Nanquan Scenic Management Area, nestled in dense forest on the mountainside of Jianyu Mountain, backed by the ruins of Jianwen and overlooking the “Huxiao Hanging Rapids” of Huaxi River. It faces southwest to northeast, covering a land area of 1190 square meters and a construction area of 824.63 square meters. The building features a blend of Chinese and Western architectural styles, with three levels including one above-ground floor, one basement, totaling 11.90 meters in height. The main structure is built with brick and wood, topped with a single-eave suspended gable roof and small blue tiles, with a plastered board ceiling. The interior is paneled with wooden boards, and the fireplaces connect to internal walls for heating each room. The floors are wooden, connected by wooden staircases between levels, and feature cantilevered balconies and corridors. The windows are double-layered, with inner glass panes and outer screens, allowing for temperature regulation as well as mosquito and dust prevention. There are four remaining auxiliary buildings: cafeteria, internal affairs building, guardhouse, and air-raid shelter. This building was one of the main official residences of Kong Xiangxi in Chongqing. Its architecture and surrounding environment have been well preserved, making it an anti-war site of significant historical value.

3. Former Site of Chiang Kai-shek’s Official Residence, also known as the Principal’s Residence, is located in the Baoli · Xiaoquan Villa Area, Xiaquan, Nanquan Subdistrict, Banan District, Chongqing. It faces south to north, covers a land area of 298 square meters and a construction area of 272 square meters, with an overall height of 7.4 meters. It is a building of blended Chinese and Western styles, consisting of 12 rooms of various sizes, built with reinforced concrete (originally wooden slat walls), topped with a single-eave hip-and-gable roof and small blue tiles, featuring two dormer windows on the roof. Originally the residence of the Ruan family in the late Qing Dynasty, it was converted into the Principal’s Residence in 1940. Secret meetings and receptions of Chiang Kai-shek were held here. The Third Section of the Generalissimo’s Headquarters Staff Office was also stationed here. This building was one of the main official residences of Chiang Kai-shek, President of the Nationalist Government, in Chongqing. Its architecture and surrounding environment have been well preserved, making it an anti-war site of significant historical value.

4. Residence of Chen Lifu and Chen Guofu: Located 1400 meters west of Huxiao Village, Nanquan Subdistrict, Banan District, within the Baoli · Xiaoquan Villa Area, also known as the “Two Chens’ Official Residence.” Originally the residence of the Ruan family in the early Republican era, it served as the place for teaching, office work, reception, rest, and residence for Chen Lifu and Chen Guofu, educational heads of the Central Political University of the Nationalist Party. The building faces south to north, covers a land area of 380 square meters and a construction area of 250 square meters, with an overall height of 11.7 meters, and contains 14 rooms of various sizes. It has brick pillars and a timber-earth structure, with a mixed roof of single-eave hip-and-gable and pyramidal styles, covered with small blue tiles, and features two dormer windows on the roof. It has one above-ground floor and one basement, with wooden railings on the protruding balconies on the front and eastern sides, and a plain base. This building was one of the main official residences of the “Two Chens” in Chongqing. Its architecture and surrounding environment have been well preserved, making it an anti-war site of significant historical value.

5. Former Site of the Research Department of the Central Political School: Peng Family Residence, also known as the Peng Family Compound or Peng Rui Chuan Manor, is located in Baihe Village, Nanquan Town, Banan District, currently within the grounds of Chongqing Zhengda Software Vocational Technical College. Originally built in the second year of the Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty (1822), it consists of an upper, middle, and lower hall, a two-story building forming a “qi”-shaped courtyard, with 77 rooms and 12 courtyards, divided into 10 corridor-style small quadrangle courtyards. The construction area is 3860 square meters, and the land area is 5320 square meters. The entire compound faces west to east. The front hall is a single-eave flush-gable wooden structure, 3 bays wide (10.15 meters), 5.8 meters deep, and 6.4 meters high; the middle hall is a single-eave suspended-gable wooden structure, 3 bays wide (13.9 meters), 10.5 meters deep, and 7.8 meters high; the rear hall is a single-eave suspended-gable wooden structure, 5 bays wide (22.9 meters), 10.3 meters deep, and 7.2 meters high; it is enclosed by brick and stone walls or firewalls up to 5–7 meters high; the roofs are covered with small blue tiles and the floors are paved with bluestone, featuring a scientific drainage system. In 1939, the residence became the Research Department of the Central Political School of the Nationalist Party, in 1940, Liren Middle School was founded here, in 1946, the Southern Bureau of the Chinese Communist Party established the Southwest Academy here, and after the founding of New China, it was taken over by the Southwest Revolutionary University. From 1953 to 2002, it successively housed Chongqing No. 27 Middle School, Nanquan Vocational Middle School of Sichuan Province Chongqing, Rongquan Vocational High School of Chongqing, and Nanquan Vocational High School of Chongqing. In January 2002, the property rights were transferred to the Banan District Cultural Relics Protection Management Office of Chongqing. In 1992 and Document No. 83 [2000] issued by the Chongqing Municipal Government, the Peng Family Residence was announced as a Chongqing Cultural Relics Protection Unit. The Peng Family Residence is one of the better-preserved ancient residential buildings in the Chongqing area and is a site of high historical, artistic, and scientific value related to the wartime capital during the Anti-Japanese War.

In May 2013, the Nanquan Anti-Japanese War Sites Cluster was designated as part of the Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units