Former Residence of Xu Fulin

Former Residence of Xu Fulin

The former residence of Xu Fulin is a protected cultural heritage site of Guangdong Province.

In Shihan Village, Xiache Town, Heping County, Heyuan City, in the mountainous northern region of Guangdong Province, there stands a well-preserved ancient building named “Lidong Xiaozhu.” Its architectural structure and style follow the traditional Hakka courtyard house design known as a “Four-Corner Tower.”

Lidong Xiaozhu was built by the modern historical figure Xu Fulin. Xu Fulin, courtesy name Mengyan, was respectfully called “Public Meng” by the local people. He was from Shihan Village, Xiache Town, Heping County, Guangdong Province, and was born in 1874. A former scholar of the Qing Dynasty, he graduated from the Beijing School of Politics and Law and later studied at Kyoto University of Political Science and Law in Japan. Early in his career, he joined the Tongmenghui (Revolutionary Alliance) and participated in the Xinhai Revolution. He served as a member of the Provisional National Assembly and a member of the House of Representatives. In 1915, he worked for Shanghai’s magazines Zhengyi (Justice) and Xin Zhonghua (New China). He helped initiate the Republican Maintenance Society, opposing Yuan Shikai’s attempt to become emperor. He founded the newspaper China New Daily and served as its chief columnist. After 1916, he served as a member of the National Assembly and president of the Dali Court. He also held positions such as National Assembly Senator, National Government Committee Member, National Congress Representative, and Presidential Consultative Official. After the September 18th Incident in 1931, he opposed Chiang Kai-shek's policy of non-resistance and advocated for resistance against Japan. In 1932, he helped organize the China National Social Party and was elected as a Central Standing Committee Member for the third term. In 1938, he served as a member of the National Political Council. In the winter of 1946, he succeeded Zhang Junmai, taking office as — (the China Democratic Socialist Party was formed by the merger of the “National Social Party” and the overseas “Democratic Party,” established in Shanghai on August 15, 1946. Founder Zhang Junmai did not serve as chairman; Xu Fulin acted in his place). As a centrist party of that era, the Democratic Socialist Party was a social force composed of parties, associations, and groups with intermediate political tendencies beyond the two major forces of the Nationalists and Communists. This political force emerged in the 1930s, and the full-scale outbreak of the War of Resistance provided a historic opportunity for its assembly, formation, and development. As the war progressed, while participating in a series of political activities, they quickly became a third force influencing China’s societal direction.

In March 1948, during the Nationalist government’s presidential election campaign, Xu Fulin, serving as vice-chairman and propaganda minister of the Democratic Socialist Party, ran for vice president alongside six other candidates: Li Zongren, Sun Ke, Cheng Qian, Yu Youren, and Mo Dewei. Xu Fulin received 214 votes. After 1946, he served as Minister of Finance and President of the Central Bank under the Nationalist government. In 1954, in Taiwan

“Huidong Xiaozhu” is located in Shihan Village, Xiache Town. It was initially built in the first year of the Republic of China (1911) and completed in the tenth year (1921). The structure faces east and west, nestled against a mountain and beside water. It spans 42 meters in width with three gates and five bays, and extends 42 meters in depth with three bays. Four corner defensive watchtowers were built, hence it is also commonly known as the “Four-Corner Tower.” The building features grey brick walls, wooden beams, and a flush gable roof. Both the side gate and main gate frames are made of bluestone, inlaid with bluestone plaques. Each of the side and main gates is supported by two stone pillars. The beams are adorned with bas-reliefs of gold-lacquered dragons and floral patterns. The entire building exudes an scholarly literary charm and profound traditional cultural heritage. The plaque on the side gate inscribed with “Huidong Xiaozhu” and its accompanying couplet were personally written by Gu Zhongxiu, who was then the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry of the Nationalist Government. The plaque on the main gate inscribed with “Gao Shi Jiu Jia” (Home of the Noble Ancients) and its couplet—“Expand great plans to carry forward ancestral glory, uphold reverence for forebears, tracing our noble lineage to the East Sea; plan for future descendants’ prosperity, strive to accumulate merits through the ages, our virtue flowing to the Southern Lands”—as well as the couplet on the second hall’s stone pillars: “Love these mountains and streams encircling the house, observe above and below, expressing pride in this hall embraced by green fields; aspire to bring timely rain to aid the times, prioritize serving before enjoying, when will I comfort the people in my leisure?” The character “Civilization and Progress” on the screen and the wooden plaque in the upper hall inscribed with “Yi Zheng Tang” (Hall of Governance as Well) were all personally written by Tan Yankai, then Premier of the Nationalist Government’s Executive Yuan.

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