Former Residence of Chen Zongnan

Former Residence of Chen Zongnan

The former residence of Chen Zongnan is a cultural tourism attraction.

The former residence of Chen Zongnan is located in Bailing Village, Sifeng, Sanjiang, Shipan Town. Built in the 12th year of the Republic of China (1923), it is a small Western-style building, measuring 39.19 meters in width and 26.9 meters in depth, covering an area of 1,054.2 square meters. It consists of a main building, a secondary building, a flat house, and a small courtyard. The small courtyard has an area of 290.94 square meters. The main building is constructed with blue bricks, hence referred to as the "Blue House"; the secondary building is made of red bricks, hence called the "Red House". The second floors of both are arranged in a staggered point layout, connected in the middle by the flat house. The Blue House is on the right, three stories high, with a width of 15.2 meters and a depth of 16.36 meters. At the main entrance, there are seven steps leading up, and the door frame is built with polished blue bricks, flanked by cement-framed decorations that extend all the way to the second-floor roof. At the center of the roof stands a large circular “Zongnan” in bold relief, beneath which are symbolic patterns representing land and sea, all in red. Upon entering the gate is the living room, which features three-color terrazzo pillars. There is also a central courtyard inside the residential area that allows light to reach the top floor. Other layouts resemble that of individual apartments. The walls are 0.38 meters thick, providing anti-theft functionality. The second-floor living room is smaller, with a study and rest area partitioned at the back, and a small balcony projecting out in the front, 1.2 meters wide and 2.8 meters long. The third floor has half the indoor area of the others, leaving space for a rooftop terrace. The rooftop has only a staircase room left, along with an attached water pool. The Red House is similar in size to the Blue House, but differs in that it lacks an inner courtyard and instead features a Western-style row of connected balconies on the facade. These appear as if the second- and third-floor balconies are enclosed and extended down to ground level. The second-floor balcony is 1.35 meters wide and 1.16 meters high, in a two-pillar, three-arch style, while the third-floor balcony is four-pillared with a pediment on top—both drawing inspiration from Western architectural styles. The flat house has two stories and was used to house servants at the time.

Chen Zongnan (1886–1962), courtesy name Boxi, was a native of Baishiling Village, Sifeng, Sanjiang, Shipan Town, Zengcheng, Guangzhou. Intelligent and gifted, he could memorize what he read after just one glance. He studied at Zengcheng Higher Primary School, where he consistently ranked at the top of his class. Later, he entered Guangfu Middle School. In the 30th year of the Guangxu reign (1904), during the official provincial examination, he was admitted as a xiucai (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations at the county level). The following year, he was admitted to the Canton-Hankou Preparatory School for Studying Abroad. Due to the school's reorganization, he transferred to Tangshan Mining School. Because of his outstanding academic performance, he was selected to study in the United States in the first year of the Xuantong reign (1909).

In the 2nd year of the Republic of China (1913), Chen Zongnan enrolled at the University of Illinois in the United States… More details about Chen Zongnan ++

Shipan Town: I. General Information Shipan Town is located in the southern part of Zengcheng City and is one of the first five model central towns in Guangzhou. It lies at the eastern end of the eastern sector of Guangzhou, bordering Li Cheng to the north and facing Dongguan across the river to the south. In February 2004, Zengcheng carried out an administrative division adjustment at the town level, merging the former Sanjiang Town and Shazhuang Subdistrict into Shipan Town. The enlarged Shipan Town covers an administrative area of 184 square kilometers, governs 47 administrative villages and 3 neighborhood committees, with a registered population of over 110,000 and a migrant population of over 60,000. II. Investment Environment Environmental Resources: Shipan Town in Zengcheng… More details about Shipan Town ++