Feng Guozhang’s Former Residence in Tianjin

　　Feng Guozhang’s Former Residence is situated at No. 50–54 Minzhu Road, Hebei District, and in Huayuan Lane, Hedong Road. It consists of three buildings that Feng bought in 1913 from Austrian engineer Bruna, covering an area of 6.376 municipal mu. In 1915, Feng Guozhang commissioned a German architect to expand and connect the original structures while preserving their architectural style, and also built a garden-style courtyard, known as "Feng Family Garden" or "Feng Family Compound." The residence includes 110 rooms and 54 single-story houses, with a total floor area of 4,661 square meters. The building is of brick-and-wood structure with a multi-sloped tiled roof. The windows feature multiple layers including screen windows, rain windows, and double-glazed windows. The overall architectural style is Austro-European, with a generous layout, simple yet elegant design. The garden was once converted into a coal yard, then later turned into a lane called Fengjia Hutong, which was renamed Huayuan Lane in 1982. The former residence has been designated as a cultural relic protection unit of Hebei District.

　　Feng Guozhang (1859–1919)　　Feng Guozhang (January 7, 1859 – December 28, 1919), courtesy name Huafu (also written as Huafu), was a native of Xishijing Village, Hejian County, Zhili (now Hebei Province). He was the leader of the Zhili Clique warlords and was known as one of the “Three Northern Warlords” along with Wang Shizhen and Duan Qirui. Feng graduated early from the Beiyang Military Academy and once served as the head of the Beiyang Infantry School and the director of the Training Camp Affairs Office. In the 29th year of the Guangxu reign (1903), he was appointed as the Director of Military Studies at the Central Training Bureau, later holding positions such as division commander and commander-in-chief of the First Army. Though sometimes opportunistic, he was intelligent, studious, and hardworking. During the Xinhai Revolution, he led Beiyang troops to suppress the Wuchang Uprising. Later, he was ordered to lead forces in the attack on Nanjing to suppress...   More+