Former Residence of Deng Shiru

　　The former residence of Deng Shiru is situated in Bailin Village, Wuheng Township, Yixiu District. It was the dwelling place of Deng Shiru, hailed as the “Foremost Calligrapher of a Thousand Dynasties,” and his sixth-generation descendant, nuclear physicist and “Two Bombs Pioneer” Deng Jiaxian. Deng Shiru’s influence spanned generations, filling the residence with an aura of scholarly refinement that is truly awe-inspiring. Under his influence, Wuheng Township developed a thriving literary culture, where everyone had a passion for literature and calligraphy, giving rise to numerous farmer-artists and earning it a national reputation as a “Land of Culture.”

　　Deng Shiru (1743~1805)　　Deng Shiru (1743–1805) was a Chinese calligrapher and seal carver of the Qing Dynasty. A native of Huaining (now part of Anhui Province), he was originally named Yan but used his courtesy name Shiru to avoid using the personal name of Emperor Jiaqing. He also went by the art names Wanbo, Wanbai Shanren, Jiyu Daoren, and Gu Huanzi. Born into a poor family, he received only one year of schooling at age nine before dropping out to support himself by gathering firewood and selling cakes. Later, he made a living through calligraphy and seal carving. He spent eight years at the residence of the eminent Jiangning collector Mei, where “he rose before dawn every day, grinding ink to fill an inkstone, and continued writing until midnight, never stopping in winter or summer.” Soon, he gained the recognition of Cao Wenqi and Jin Fuzhi, among others, and his fame as a calligrapher soared. In the 56th year of the Qianlong reign (1791), he served as a secretary for three years under Li Yuan, the Viceroy of Huguang. Zhang Huiyan... Details+

　　Deng Jiaxian (1924~1986)　　Deng Jiaxian (June 25, 1924 – July 29, 1986) was a native of Huaining County, Anhui Province. He was a nuclear physicist, one of the founders and pioneers of theoretical research in China, one of the key technical leaders in the development of nuclear weapons in China, and the chief designer of the theoretical framework for China’s atomic bomb. He was an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Born on June 25, 1924, in his ancestral home, Tieyan Shanfang, in Huaining County, Anhui Province, his father Deng Yizhe was a professor at Peking University, his mother Wang Shujuan managed the household, and the great Qing Dynasty calligrapher Deng Shiru was his sixth-generation ancestor. At the age of five, he attended elementary school in Beiping (Beijing), entered middle school at age eleven, and at twelve skipped a grade to enroll in the second year of junior high at Beijing’s Chongde Middle School... Details+