Liu Guanxiong’s Former Residence

　　   The former residence of Liu Guanxiong is situated at No. 123 Machang Road, Hexi District. In 1922, Liu constructed three Western-style brick-and-wood buildings based on his own design. The buildings carry profound symbolism, representing his identity as a naval commander. The central building resembles an aircraft carrier, the western one a cruiser, and the northern one a telescope. The central and western buildings have been demolished, leaving only the northern structure. There are two main buildings — the main house and an auxiliary one — totaling 81 rooms, with a construction area of 3,325 square meters and covering a land area of 9.20 city mu. The main building (northern building) has three floors plus a basement, featuring red machine-made brick walls with exposed mortar, partially surfaced with sandstone, cantilevered beams, and large tiled roofs. The first floor consists of a hall, dining room, study, and reception room; the second and third floors serve as living quarters. The entire structure is exquisitely decorated and luxurious. Currently, the residence is used by a branch campus of Tianjin University of Finance and Economics and is listed as an immovable cultural relic in Tianjin that has not yet been officially designated as a protected heritage site.

　　Liu Guanxiong (1858~1927)　　   Liu Guanxiong (1858–1927), courtesy name Duncheng, also known as Ziying or Ziying, was a native of Min County (now Minhou). In the first year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty (1875), he enrolled in the Naval Academy of the Fujian Shipbuilding School to study navigation. In the twelfth year of Guangxu (1886), he was sent to the Royal Naval College in Greenwich, England. He returned to China in the sixteenth year of Guangxu (1890) and served as the executive officer and first lieutenant aboard the Beiyang Fleet's warship “Jingyuan.” In the twentieth year of Guangxu (1894), the First Sino-Japanese War broke out. On August 18 of that year, the Chinese and Japanese fleets engaged in fierce battle in the Yellow Sea. The “Jingyuan” sustained heavy damage and retreated to the vicinity of Daling Island near Dadonggou for repairs. By 5 p.m., repairs were completed and the ship rejoined the fleet. Witnessing the flagship's injury... Details+