Tianjin Yuan Family Residence

　　Located at No. 39 Haihe East Road, Hebei District, it is now residential. Built in 1918, it features Nordic architectural style. The main building has an "L" shape, is a three-story brick-and-wood structure with partial basement, covering a land area of 1,836 square meters and a construction area of 2,217 square meters. A four-story tower is set at the entrance. The porch combines square and round columns, with a large living room, dining room, study, etc., on the ground floor. Outside the living room is a columned porch, above which there is also a tower. The second floor contains bedrooms. The entire building has over 20 rooms of various sizes. To the east of the main building are two floors of secondary buildings, with a small dome on the upper level serving as living quarters for servants.

　　On the east bank of the Haihe River between the Golden Victory Bridge and the Beian Bridge stands a graceful red-roofed building with an irregular layout. As a scenic spot along the Haihe in Tianjin, it captivates visitors and offers aesthetic pleasure. This uniquely styled building is known as the "Yuan Family Residence" and is now a municipal-level cultural relics protection unit. Yuan Shikai was once a prominent figure in modern Chinese history — he was the leader of the Beiyang warlords, seized the position of provisional president after the Xinhai Revolution, and later attempted to restore the imperial system, drawing public condemnation. With his influence, he and some of his relatives built several mansions within the concession areas. There were two Yuan family residences in the concessions. One was the former residence of Yuan Shikai's eldest son, Yuan Keding (now at No. 42 Minzhu Road). The other is the aforementioned "Yuan Family Residence." It is said that the old Yuan residence located at No. 39 Haihe East Road, Hebei District (formerly Jintang Second Road in the Austrian Concession) was purchased at a low price from the Austrian Concession shortly after Yuan Shikai took office as Viceroy of Zhili and Minister of Beiyang. He commissioned German and British architects to design and build it, reportedly because the location was “incredibly prestigious with excellent feng shui.” The building was constructed between 1917 and 1918. By the time it was completed, Yuan Shikai had already been dead for two years, so it is more accurate to say it belonged to the "Yuan descendants" rather than Yuan himself. Some also say that the Yuan Family Residence was the home of Yuan Shaokuan, Yuan Shikai’s clansman and a close political ally. After 1910, he held various positions including Magistrate of Tianjin, Quartermaster General of the Gengwei Army, Deputy Commander of the Mongolian Bordered Red Banner, and Director of Coal Oil Mine Preparations. In 1915, he actively promoted Yuan Shikai’s bid to become emperor. After Yuan’s death, he lived in seclusion. In 1923, he served as Minister of Agriculture and Commerce in the Gao Lingwei Cabinet, and left office in 1924 to live as a private resident in Tianjin. The building is a three-story European classical-style structure, evolving from the medieval "Roman style" and incorporating German architectural techniques. The steep red sloped roof features a bell-shaped skylight tower at the center ridge, modeled after the dome of the early Italian Renaissance "Santa Maria Church," but with an added reverse curve that gives it a distinctive German architectural flair. The porch combines square and round columns — a rare feature in Tianjin architecture. On the east side of the main building, the second floor features a small Byzantine-style pointed dome that complements the tower, representing German national architectural style. The compound also includes a backyard garden with rockeries, covered walkways, fishing pavilions, and greenhouses. Most notably, the building contains a "hiding place" and an "escape route." The hiding place is located at a corner on the right side of the second floor, where a small door leads to a reinforced concrete staircase that goes up to the rooftop and down to the basement. When the door is closed, the staircases are hidden. The escape route is an iron staircase beside a pavilion on the third floor, leading directly to a rear garden gate, through which one could escape.