Former Residence of Zhang Lan

Former Residence of Zhang Lan

The former residence of Zhang Lan is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The former residence of Zhang Lan is located on the campus of Nanchong Jianhua Vocational School at Renmin South Road, Shunqing District, Nanchong City. Jianhua Vocational School was formerly known as the private Nanchong Jianhua Middle School, which was founded in 1940 by Zhang Lan and others, with Zhang Lan serving as the principal. At that time, the school used the “Three Saints Palace” outside Daxi Gate and the Nanchong County Nursery as school buildings. Zhang Lan lived and worked in the quadrangle-style “Three Saints Palace.” Hence, the “Three Saints Palace” became Zhang Lan’s former residence.

The former residence of Zhang Lan is a Qing Dynasty building, consisting of a front hall, rear hall, left and right wing rooms, and other structures, covering a construction area of 438 square meters. It features small blue tile roofing, a hanging gable roof, and a post-and-lintel structure. The rear hall currently houses a wooden carving that records the historical evolution of the “Three Saints Palace.” The “Memorial Room” is divided into two parts: the “Exhibition Room” and the “Jianhua Garden.” The Exhibition Room is located inside the Three Saints Palace and consists of six rooms, while the Jianhua Garden is situated to the left of the Exhibition Room. A five-character raw lacquer wooden plaque inscribed with “Zhang Lan Memorial Room,” personally written by [name omitted], hangs above the main gate of the Memorial Room. The front hall of the Memorial Room displays an exhibition preface and over 200 calligraphy and painting works related to Zhang Lan’s life. The back wall of the front hall features a wooden screen inscribed with Zhang Lan’s poems. The right wing room displays photos related to “Mr. Zhang Lan and Jianhua Middle School,” while the left wing room showcases “Mr. Zhang Lan’s Educational Philosophy and Achievements.” Between the front and rear halls is a courtyard, which includes a pond, rockery, and trees. Passing through the courtyard leads to the rear hall.

The rear hall has three rooms: the central hall displays a sand table model of Zhang Lan’s birthplace, a bust of Zhang Lan, and birthday congratulatory messages written for Mr. Zhang Lan’s 80th birthday by Mao Zedong and [name omitted]. The right room displays some of Zhang Lan’s photographs and works from his lifetime, while the left room is Zhang Lan’s bedroom, featuring the bed, cabinets, and tables he used during his life. The “Jianhua Garden” to the left of the Memorial Room covers an area of over 200 square meters, with a glass fiber reinforced plastic bust of Mr. Zhang Lan standing in the center.

Protected Area: The site extends 13 meters eastward, 14 meters westward, 8 meters southward, and 9 meters northward from the boundary.

Zhang Lan (1872–1955), courtesy name Biaofang, was from Zhangguangou Village, Guanyintang Township, Lianchi County, Xichong. From childhood, he studied farming and reading with his father, Wenzhuo. In 1895, he passed the imperial examination at the county level and was later awarded a supplementary scholar degree. In 1902, he entered the Zunjing Academy in Chengdu to study classics and history. The following year, due to his outstanding character and scholarship, he was selected to study at the Normal Department of Hongwen Academy in Tokyo, Japan. During his studies abroad, influenced by reformist ideas, Zhang Lan advocated for Empress Dowager Cixi to return power to Emperor Guangxu and was sent back to China by officials of the Qing government’s embassy in Japan. In 1904, he served as the academic supervisor at Shunqing Prefecture Middle School. The next year, Zhang Lan went to Chengdu to serve as the training director at the Sichuan Study-Preparation School. In 1906... More detailed information about Zhang Lan++

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units