Zhang Shiming’s Former Residence

　　Zhang Shiming’s Former Residence is a grand mansion built by Zhang Junheng, grandson of Zhang Songxian, one of the "Four Tycoons" and wealthiest individuals in Nanxun during the Jiangnan region. Also known as Yide Hall. It is one of the rare surviving mansions in Jiangnan that largely retains its historical appearance from the Ming and Qing dynasties. It stands as a classic example of architecture that blends Chinese and Western styles. With its distinctive style, grand structure, exquisite craftsmanship, and architectural refinement, it is hailed as the "Foremost Private Residence in Jiangnan."

　　The former residence faces the ancient Xunxi Creek to the east, spans an area of 6,500 square meters, and has a built-up area of 7,000 square meters. It includes five courtyards, four sections, and 150 rooms of various Chinese and Western-style buildings.

　　The residence houses several hundred halls, chambers, towers, pavilions, and rooms, all interconnected yet each with its own unique features. Its gate towers, walls, panels, pillars, shelves, beams, doors, and windows feature thousands of stone carvings, wood carvings, and brick carvings. The carvings are exquisitely executed, ingeniously composed, and elegantly styled—whether depicting birds and beasts or figures and flowers, they appear lifelike and vivid, representing the pinnacle of late Qing Dynasty Chinese carving art.

　　In particular, the residence's decorative elements such as patterned window and door lattices, stained glass, and French floor tiles add a rich blend of Chinese and Western artistic and cultural hues to the mansion.

　　Zhang Junheng (1871–1927), styled Shiming and also known as the Master of Shiyuan, obtained the title of Juren (recommended scholar) in the 20th year of the Guangxu reign during the Qing Dynasty (1874). In addition to inheriting and managing the family businesses of silk and salt trade, he also established the Shenda Money Shop and Southeast Trust Company in Shanghai. He engaged in gold speculation, stock trading, and public education ventures, as well as real estate development.

　　This man was not only shrewd in business but also had refined tastes in art and culture. He had a lifelong passion for stones, hence his style name “Shiming.” He was also an avid collector and enthusiast of paintings, calligraphy, stone inscriptions, and books, and maintained close relationships with many scholars and celebrities from the late Qing and early Republican periods, such as Wu Changshuo, Zheng Xiaoxu, Ding Fuzhi, and Mao Fu’an.