Chen Shaobai’s Former Residence in Guangzhou

Chen Shaobai’s Former Residence in Guangzhou

Chen Shaobai’s Former Residence in Guangzhou is a cultural tourism attraction.

Chen Shaobai’s Former Residence in Guangzhou is located in Tower Shadow Building, originally the office and residence of Xidi Lianxing Wharf on Yanjiang West Road. This four-and-a-half-story building blends Chinese and Western architectural features. The first four floors are Western-style, featuring a reinforced concrete frame structure, while the rooftop houses a traditional Chinese shaded viewing pavilion with four eaves, dripping corners, and green glazed tiles. The exterior walls are rendered to resemble a stone masonry structure, harmonizing with the style of the nearby Canton Customs House across the street. Because the building was constructed right next to the Pearl River, its overall shape resembles a tower, and its reflection in the water gave rise to its name, Tower Shadow Building. In 1928, Chen Shaobai wrote a poem titled “Remembering Tower Shadow Building” from his hometown in Waizhai: “Day after day, I dress up by the Pearl River shore, / Year after year, I wither behind closed doors. / Such fine scenery, yet where is everyone? / I’ve grown tired of marking the river tides.” The ground floor covers an area of 70 square meters. Due to the plot being slightly wedge-shaped between the road and the Pearl River, the building is narrower on the east side and wider on the west. The rooftop pavilion spans 36 square meters. Each floor has multiple large windows on the east, west, and north sides for natural light, and the middle of the north side on the second, third, and fourth floors features a small Western-style balcony overlooking the street. The south sides of the third and fourth floors project fully outward as cantilevered balconies, enclosed with exquisite stained glass windows, which not only maximize indoor space but also offer river views from inside. The second-floor south side has only a half-cantilevered balcony, with the same structure as those on the upper floors. In the past, relatives of Chen Shaobai lived on the third floor, where the hall and rooms still retain old items once used by Chen Shaobai, such as a desk, rosewood lounge chair, high-legged tea table, bed, and screen. The bathrooms on the second and third floors also still have the original large enamel bathtubs. It is said that in the 1920s, Dr. Sun Yat-sen visited his old friend Chen Shaobai and stayed on the second floor. In 2001, when Yanjiang Road was widened, there were plans to demolish Tower Shadow Building. Later, his descendants went to the Guangzhou Municipal Committee, and after research by relevant departments, it was decided to preserve the building. The original interior structure has been largely well maintained, but because the building had tilted slightly north at the time, after relocating all residents, the housing authority carried out corrective work to straighten it. It is now managed by a business enterprise and open to the public.

Chen Shaobai (1869–1934)

Chen Shaobai, originally named Wen Shao and styled Kuishi, was born on July 20, 1869 (the 20th day of the 7th month of the 8th year of the Tongzhi reign), in Nanhua Li, Waizhai Town, on the outskirts of Jiangmen City, into a family with a Christian pastor.