Cao's Garden

　　   Situated at the intersection of Huangwei Road and Xin Kaihe in Hebei District, Tianjin, on the left side of the gate of the 254th Hospital, Cao's Garden is the commonly used name for the garden that belonged to warlord Cao Kun. It covers an area that was originally the garden of Sun Zhongying, a prominent comprador in Tianjin during the late Qing Dynasty. The garden was first built in the 29th year of the Guangxu reign, or 1903, and was sold to Cao Kun in 1906 for a large sum of money. Cao Kun carried out extensive reconstruction work, digging lakes, creating artificial hills, and planting a wide variety of flowers, plants, and trees. Once completed, the garden became the most outstanding of its kind in Tianjin at the time.

　　   Located at Nos. 27 and 29 Minzu Road, it was the private garden of Cao Kun, the leader of the Zhili faction of the Beiyang warlords. This is a garden that blends Chinese and Western architectural styles, featuring the delicate charm of traditional Chinese ancient architecture as well as the style of Western-style villas.

　　   Cao Kun (1862–1938), courtesy name Zhongshan, was a native of Tianjin. He graduated from the Tianjin Military Academy and served as division commander of the Beiyang Third Army, military governor of Zhili, and provincial governor. After 1922, he controlled the political situation in northern China. In 1923, he bought off members of the National Assembly and was elected “President.” In October 1924, during the Second Zhili-Fengtian War, Feng Yuxiang, the commander of the Zhili Third Army, returned from the front lines in Rehe to Beijing during the conflict, launched a coup, imprisoned Cao Kun in the Yanqing Tower in Zhongnanhai, and issued a statement across the country advocating for peace talks. On November 2, Cao Kun announced his resignation. The Zhili forces were defeated at the front. In October 1926, Lu Zhonglin, a subordinate of Feng Yuxiang, launched a mutiny to drive out Duan Qirui and released Cao Kun. After 1927, he lived in Tianjin for a long time.

　　   Address: Intersection of Huangwei Road and Baima Road, Hebei District

　　   Phone: 26296611