Former Residence of Xu Jiyu

Former Residence of Xu Jiyu

The former residence of Xu Jiyu is a cultural relic protection unit of Xinzhou City.

The former residence of Xu Jiyu is located in Chaoyang Lane, Dongjie Village, Dongye Town, Wutai County. Xu Jiyu (1795–1873), courtesy name Jian’nian and art name Songkan, was a native of Dongye Town, Wutai County. He served successively as a Hanlin Academy editor, an imperial censor of the Shaanxi Circuit, prefect of Liangzhou, circuit intendant of Yan-Shao in Fujian, provincial administration commissioner of Guangdong, provincial administration commissioner of Fujian, and governor of Guangxi. During the Opium War, he submitted a memorial titled “On the Prohibition of Opium.”

He passed away at his home in Dongye, Wutai in the 12th year of the Tongzhi reign (1873). His surviving works include Annals of the Maritime Kingdoms and Complete Works of Mr. Songkan. The former residence of Xu Jiyu faces south and consists of a single-entry compound with two courtyards, covering an area of 428 square meters. There is one main gate, spanning one bay, with a flush gable roof covered in gray tiles. The central pillar holds a single-panel door flanked by filler boards, while the overhead lintel board is inscribed with the phrase “Blessings Follow Virtue.” Brick carvings adorn the walls on both sides. Inside the gate, there is a brick-carved screen wall, a doorway, and a passageway leading into the residence. The first courtyard has side rooms on both sides, each three bays wide and four rafters deep, with front corridors. The east side room has been rebuilt. At the northern end of the courtyard is a ceremonial gate spanning one bay, featuring a drum-shaped door lintel, stone-carved door sill, and an overhead lintel board inscribed with “Residence Without Equal Beauty” and “Tongzhi Year Bingxu.” It has a flush gable roof, an interior cross-shaped coffered ceiling, and a hip-and-gable roof with bracket sets. The decorative motifs are refined, and the wooden carvings are exquisite. There is also a kitchen. The second courtyard features enclosed corridors. The side rooms are three bays wide. The front rooms are five bays wide and six rafters deep, with front corridors. The front room has a wooden partition wall. The rear rooms are five bays wide and four rafters deep. The east and west side rooms are three bays wide. The corridor pillars are wrapped in bricks. The roof ridges of the courtyard are built to a moderate height. In 2007, the People’s Government of Xinzhou City declared it a municipal-level cultural relic protection unit. (From Xinzhou Cultural Relics Collection)

Source: Xinzhou Website

Xu Jiyu, courtesy name Jian’nian and art name Songkan, was a native of Dongye Town, Wutai County, Shanxi Province. Born in the 60th year of the Qianlong reign (1795) during the Qing Dynasty and passing away in the 12th year of the Tongzhi reign (1873), he was a patriot, one of the great pioneers of modern China who looked outward to the world, and a renowned geographer of the period. He also achieved notable accomplishments in literature, historiography, and calligraphy.

Xu Jiyu’s father, Xu Rundi, was a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations and held positions such as a scribe in the Grand Secretariat and vice magistrate of Shinan Prefecture in Hubei. Xu Jiyu received a strong family education and Confucian influence from an early age and once lived in the capital with his father. Teacher... Xu Jiyu – More Detailed Information++

Dongjie Village: Located on East Main Street in Dongye Town, Dongjie Village has a total of 955 households and a population of 3,010, including 197 non-agricultural residents. The village covers a total of 1,819.70 mu of arable land. … More Detailed Information on Dongjie Village++