Yan Gusu Library

Yan Gusu Library

The Yan Gusu Library is a cultural relic protection unit of Sichuan Province.

At No. 16 Heping Street, deep in a quiet alley, lies an ancient library nearly a century old — the Benyuan Library (also known as the Yan Gusu Library). With its grey tiles and blue bricks, as well as stone statues and reliefs, the library speaks volumes of its vintage charm. It was once the largest book collection in western China. As a well-preserved Sino-Western architectural fusion, the Benyuan Library is under listed protection.

★ It is the private library of the renowned book collectors Yan Yanfeng and his son Yan Gusu, named after the "Benyuan" estate where it was built. Construction began in 1914 and took ten years to complete. It was the largest book collection in western China and earned the reputation of being the “Tianyi Pavilion of Chengdu.” According to Wang Jialing, deputy director of the Sichuan Provincial Library, during the late Qing Dynasty and early Republican period, almost all of Chengdu’s prominent scholars had some connection to the Benyuan Library. Song Yuren, Liao Ping, and Lin Shanyu each wrote a “Record of the Benyuan Library,” introducing the library and its collections. Zhang Senkai compiled a “Catalogue Compendium” for the Benyuan Library. During the War of Resistance against Japan, the master painter Zhang Daqian even stayed at the Benyuan. There, he painted a portrait of Yan Gusu and accepted his daughter as a disciple. In the 1940s, the renowned historian Chen Yinke also visited the Benyuan to view authentic rare ancient texts. Wang Jialing said emotionally, “Back then, the Benyuan could be called the mecca for all literati.” Nowadays, most of the library’s books are preserved in the Sichuan Provincial Library. Over 20 years ago, the Benyuan building itself was dismantled to make room for a library dormitory, leaving only the empty shell standing quietly in the small street.

Scope of Protection: 5 meters beyond the current boundary.

Construction Control Zone: 30 meters beyond the scope of protection.