Former Residence of Tang Shunzhi

　　The former residence of Tang Shunzhi is located at No. 86 Qingguo Lane. Originally named Baohetang, it was the birthplace of Tang Shunzhi. Tang Shunzhi (1507–1560), courtesy name Yingde, also known as Jingchuan, was a scholar-official in the Ming Dynasty. He passed the imperial examination during the Jiajing reign, served as an editor in the Hanlin Academy, but was dismissed due to slander. He spent over a decade in seclusion in the Yangxian Mountains of Yixing, cultivating both literary and martial skills. A true polymath, he mastered astronomy, geography, history, mathematics, military strategy, music theory, and the Five Elements. At the age of 52, he was reinstated and took up arms against Japanese pirates, but died in office. In the sixth year of the Chongzhen reign (1633), his great-grandson Tang Yuzhao renamed the residence Zhenhetang, the name which has been used ever since. The Jingchuan Ancestral Home consists of eight halls: Bagui, Zhenhe, Yishu, Yunxing, Sinbing, Fushi, Songjian, and Lihuo, collectively known as the "Eight Tang Residences." These are located along the central section of Qingguo Lane, stretching from today's Xuedong Lane to Ximiaogou. Constructed before the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty, the residences have experienced periods of prosperity and decline. Today, the original sites of Sinbing and Fushi can no longer be found, while the rest still stand—some altered, but Zhenhetang and Yunxing Hall largely retain their original appearances. Zhenhetang, originally named Baohetang, was renamed Zhenhe by Tang Jingchuan’s great-grandson. It is one of the residences where Tang Jingchuan once lived. The hall originally included a front gate hall, a sedan-chair hall, a main gate, a second gate, and a rear residential courtyard. The nanmu (phoebe nanmu) main hall faces south and is a complete shaomaoting (official’s hat-shaped hall), spanning three bays with a width of 13.4 meters and a depth of 7 rafters (9.5 meters). The eaves columns are 4.5 meters high, and the structure uses a post-and-lintel system with large moon beams. The materials are all high-quality nanmu and rosewood, selected for their substantial size and fine quality, with main pillars thick enough to be encircled by one person’s arms. The wooden columns are supported by bluestone bases, and the roof is relatively flat. The upturned eaves feature double layers, and the central beam is adorned with colored paintings. On the corridor wall to the east of the main hall is embedded a stone tablet inscribed with "Baohetang Ji" (Record of Baohetang), written and calligraphed by the Ming Dynasty calligrapher Sun Shenxing. This piece was composed in the 45th year of the Wanli reign (1617) to celebrate the 80th birthday of Tang Jingchuan’s son, Hezheng. In March 1982, it was designated as a provincial-level cultural relics protection unit.