Former Residence of Bian Yinchang

　　The former residence of Bian Yinchang is situated in the Bian Family Courtyard south of the Township Ancestral Hall inside Dongmenli. Constructed during the Xianfeng reign of the Qing Dynasty by Bian Yinchang’s father, it has a history of more than 140 years. The Bian Family Courtyard covers an area of 10,700 square meters and consists of two main sections: eastern and western. All buildings are of brick-and-timber construction with tiled roofs, featuring four beams and eight pillars. The north and south rooms have large round columns, while the east and west wing rooms have slightly thinner square columns, all visible surfaces coated with lacquer. Originally, Bian Yinchang and his 14 cousins lived separately in their respective courtyards. During significant family events such as weddings or funerals, the panel doors at the back mountain walls of the central row of halls would be opened simultaneously, turning the entire complex into one unified courtyard. The eastern courtyard houses various auxiliary rooms, a carriage house, a stable, and a theater building, while the western courtyard served as the living quarters for the Bian family. The western courtyard faces east and features a pair of stone lions and a grand gate at the entrance. Upon entering, there is a pass-through courtyard with a gate room to the south and three small side rooms. Beyond the pass-through courtyard lies the East Arrow Alley. Within the western courtyard, from south to north, there are two arrow alleys (east and west) and three rows of buildings. The middle row is the main structure, consisting of five large three-courtyard compounds and one passage courtyard that connects to the West Arrow Alley. Each main courtyard has five rooms in the central hall, three rooms on each of the east and west sides, along with additional spaces such as a hall room, living room, and accounting office. To the east of the East Arrow Alley, aside from the gate and pass-through courtyard, there are four three-courtyard compounds. Each compound contains three north rooms, three south rooms, and two east wing rooms, along with two smaller courtyards housing guard rooms, a small tower, and a firewood shed. At the southern end of the East Arrow Alley, there is a back door leading out to Rishengdang Hutong. The row of buildings on the west side of the West Arrow Alley consists of three interconnected compounds, which include living quarters, a small tower, utility rooms, a small kitchen, a study, a large nine-room tower study, a Buddhist shrine, an ancestral hall, as well as fire safety facilities and toilets. Each inner courtyard in the western section has three levels of stone steps (the steps in front of the main gate have five levels). Features include gate towers with screen walls, covered verandas, exterior brick carvings, hanging eaves boards, two-meter-wide front porches in front of the north and south rooms, as well as interior wooden partition walls, carved wooden doors, and windows.

　　After the year 1910 (the second year of the Xuantong reign), a fire broke out in the central three-courtyard compound at the southern end where Bian Yinchang lived. As a result, he moved to the compound of his cousin Xia Jichang (Bian Shuqing). The theater building in the eastern courtyard was once destroyed by fire, and the other structures have since been converted into residential houses, currently housing over a hundred families. The internal buildings of the western courtyard have weathered over the years, especially after the earthquake in 1976, resulting in damage to many of the square brick carvings on the exterior walls and significant alterations to doors and windows. However, the basic framework remains intact. The site is now used as residential housing.

　　Bian Yinchang (1866~1926)　　Bian Yinchang (1866–1926) was a patriotic industrialist and entrepreneur in the business community. He was the owner of the Longju Foreign Cloth Shop and one of the wealthiest individuals in Tianjin. His courtesy name was Yueting, and he was born in 1866 in Tianjin. During the late Qing Dynasty, he served in the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Works, and the Ministry of Justice. In 1904, he became the Vice President of the Tianjin Chamber of Commerce, later serving as a council member of the Tianjin Sports Federation. After the 1911 Revolution, he was appointed Commander of the Tianjin Business Regiment and an executive member of the Tianjin Red Cross. In 1913, he served as President of the Zhili Chamber of Commerce and led the Chinese delegation to the Panama–Pacific International Exposition in the same year. He also acted as an advisory consultant to Feng Guozhang, the Zhili Governor-General. In 1914, he became an advisor to the Office of the Zhili Provincial Governor. ... Details+