Former Residence of Zhuang Cunyu

　　 The former residence of Zhuang Cunyu is situated within the Jiangsu Changzhou Health School at Mashanbu. Zhuang Cunyu (1719–1788) was a Qing Dynasty scholar of Confucian classics and the pioneer of the New Text Confucianism school. The residence was originally built during the Ming Dynasty's Wanli era (1573–1620), expanded by his father Zhuang Zhu during the Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty (1662–1722), and further enlarged by Zhuang Cunyu himself during the Qianlong era (1736–1795). In the 10th year of Qianlong’s reign (1745), Cunyu achieved the rank of Second Place Scholar (Bangyan), and in the 19th year, his younger brother Peiwen became the Number One Scholar (Zhuangyuan), earning the residence the title “Zhuangyuan Mansion.” Originally, there were two vertical plaques at the entrance gate reading “Second Place Scholar” and “Number One Scholar.” The property once featured a water dock, screen wall, ceremonial gate, and over 100 rooms including the Qiyu Hall, Shenyu Hall, Ciyan Hall, and Weiwei Hall, covering an area of 0.93 hectares. Both Zhuang Cunyu and his brother were born here. In the 52nd year of Qianlong’s reign, Cunyu returned to his hometown to write the “Record of the Reconstruction of the Changzhou Prefectural Confucian Temple,” and passed away in the residence the following year. From 1951 to 1954, the Changzhou Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China established the Changzhou Municipal Party School here, which was later converted into school buildings by the Jiangsu Changzhou Health School. Today, only six west wing rooms, three dining rooms, three auxiliary rooms, and five rooms of the flower-basket-style hall to the west remain, along with three rooms each on the upper and lower levels of the Sanyuan Pavilion south of the street. In December 1987, it was designated as a municipal-level cultural relics protection unit.