Former Residence of Su Yuanchun

Former Residence of Su Yuanchun

The Former Residence of Su Yuanchun is located in Shidong Town, about 40 kilometers north of the county seat. Su Yuanchun (1844–1908), also known as Zixi, was a native of Yong’an in Guangxi (now Mengshan County). A military officer by profession, in the sixth year of the Tongzhi reign (1867), he followed Xi Baotian leading Hunan troops into Guizhou to suppress the Miao peasant uprising led by Zhang Xiumei. At that time, he held the rank of Zongbing, later promoted to Tidu, and was stationed in Shidong where he built this residence. The residence faces south and overlooks the Qingshui River. It is a three-courtyard, three-building wooden structure with five bays and a single-eave hanging hip roof, enclosed by firewalls on all sides. Inside the walls are, in sequence, a courtyard, front hall, central chamber, rear courtyard, and patio. The building spans 20.5 meters in width and 76.6 meters in depth, covering an area of 1,557 square meters. The front gate is accessible via dozens of steps leading directly down to the Qingshui River. The main entrance features a stone-framed door with double doors that open and close together. There is a patio at the front and a garden at the rear. Although the residence has deteriorated over time and is incomplete, its main structures still retain their original appearance, making it one of the larger surviving Qing dynasty buildings in Taijiang.

Shidong Town: Located in the northern part of Taijiang County, on the southern bank of the Qingshui River. It covers an area of 99 square kilometers with a population of 13,700, of which 94.9% are ethnic Miao. The town administers 1 neighborhood committee and 20 village committees. In 1932, Qinghe Town and several townships including Renya, Mingfeng, Mingde, Shangzhi, and Weixin were established. In 1939, Youzhu Town and the townships of Shangzhi and Daohé were set up. In 1953, the townships of Shidong, Pingzhao, Lantian, and Nanshao were divided off. In 1958, the townships were abolished and replaced with the Shidong Commune. From 1962 onward, the communes of Shidong, Nanshao (Sixin), Lantian (Liángtián), and Pingzhao were established. In 1984, the administrative division was changed to 1 town and 3 townships. In 1992,… Shidong Town detailed information++