Former Residence of Jiang Guangnai

Former Residence of Jiang Guangnai

The Former Residence of Jiang Guangnai is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Ligying Garden (Former Residence of Jiang Guangnai) is located in Xinji Village, Nanzha Management District, about 5 kilometers south of Humen Town, backed by Santai Mountain. The garden is famed for its extensive lychee plantings and was first established during the Daoguang–Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty. It was originally created by Jiang Liangxiang, the grandfather of General Jiang Guangnai, a renowned anti-Japanese military leader. Jiang Liangxiang, styled Yihuan and also known as Jiyun, attained the jinshi degree in the third year of the Xianfeng reign and was selected as a shujishi (imperial scholar), serving as a compiler at the Hanlin Academy. In 1887, Jiang Guangnai was born and spent his childhood in the ancestral home adjacent to the garden. As a youth, he joined the military, followed Sun Yat-sen in the revolution, and achieved distinguished military accomplishments. In 1931, he was promoted to the rank of army general and appointed commander-in-chief of the 19th Route Army. In 1932, he commanded the January 28th Shanghai Battle, dealing a major blow to Japanese forces, boosting national prestige, and shaking both China and the international community.

In 1930, Jiang Guangnai built a Western-style villa within the ancestral garden. Its foundation is uniquely designed—with an arched culvert supporting the ground floor for ventilation and moisture prevention. Granite steps lead up to the structure, and the stone railings are exquisitely carved. The layout features a front porch and rear rooms, housing one central hall with two side wings, all two stories high, enclosed by red walls amidst a landscaped garden that includes lychee, longan, wampee, custard apple, and French white magnolia trees. At the front of the garden is a raised platform shaded by a large mango tree. The entrance gate is built of stone, with sparse tiles and upturned eaves, and a stone plaque inscribed with the characters “Ligying Garden” (Lychee Shade Garden). A pair of running script couplets read: “Who says the dragon lies dormant in this house? Mock those who deem birds mere common folk.” Behind the garden, at the foot of the hill, lie the tombs of General Jiang Guangnai’s parents. On the tomb platform, facing south, stands a over ten-meter-high “Parents’ Stele.” The left epitaph was composed by Zhang Qigun, a jinshi scholar from the late Qing Dynasty, in honor of Jiang’s father; the right epitaph was penned by Hu Hanmin, a veteran statesman of the Republic of China, in memory of Jiang’s mother. About a hundred steps from the steles stands a hexagonal pavilion built by Jiang Guangnai to commemorate his younger brother, Jiang Guanglu. Known as “Guanglu Pavilion,” it honors Jiang Guanglu, a brave battalion commander in the 19th Route Army who was killed in action in 1929 during battles against the combined forces of Feng Yuxiang and Yan Xishan in Shandong and Henan. Today, “Ligying Garden,” the “Parents’ Stele,” and “Guanglu Pavilion” together form part of the cultural relics site of the Former Residence of Jiang Guangnai. In 1987, the site was renovated under the management of the municipal and town governments, designated as a key cultural relic protection unit of Dongguan City, opened to the public under dedicated management. The Santai Mountain behind the residence has been developed into a park by Nanzha Management District.

On July 17, 2002, it was included in the fourth batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units.

On October 7, 2019, the Former Residence of Jiang Guangnai was listed in the eighth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Address: No. 1, Lane 2, Xinji, Sanjiang Village, Nanzha, Humen Town, Dongguan City

Type: Celebrity Former Residence

Recommended Visiting Time: 1–2 hours

Phone: 0769-85561504

Opening Hours: 9:00–17:00

Ticket Information: Free admission.

Transportation

Bus: Take bus routes 118, Humen 5, Humen 6, Humen 10, 118A, or 306 to Nanzha Market Station, 316 meters straight-line distance, a 3-minute walk.

Jiang Guangnai (1888–1967), styled Jingran, was a native of Nanzha Township, Humen Town, Dongguan, Guangdong. He was an outstanding patriotic democrat and political activist, a distinguished anti-Japanese general, an eminent leader and founder of the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang, and a key figure in China’s early textile industry.

He participated in the Xinhai Revolution, served as a division commander in the National Revolutionary Army and deputy commander of the 11th Army, and took part in the Central Plains War. In 1930, he was appointed commander-in-chief of the 19th Route Army and garrison commander of the Shanghai area. On January 28, 1932, he led the 19th Route Army in resisting the Japanese invasion. In 1949, he began serving in the National… [More details on Jiang Guangnai]

Humen Town: Located on the eastern bank of the Pearl River Estuary, Humen covers an area of 178.5 square kilometers, governs 29 community neighborhood committees, has a registered population of 124,000, and a resident population exceeding 500,000. As a key town in southern China, Humen boasts highly developed transportation with convenient access by land, sea, and air: maritime transport includes the Hongye Container Terminal and the planned Shajiaohezi Port, both approved by the State Council as Class I ports, linking to ports in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, and other southern Chinese harbors; aviation-wise, Humen is north of Guangzhou Airport, south of Shenzhen Airport, and west of Zhuhai Airport; by land, it is served by the Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Zhuhai Expressway, S256 Provincial Highway… [More details on Humen Town]

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Eighth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units