Bai Chongxi’s Former Residence

　　Walking along the lush Fenyang Road, in the distance you can faintly see an old Western-style house. The flickering streetlights lend the building a slightly mysterious and solitary air. Little do people know that this restaurant named “Paulaner” was once the residence of Bai Chongxi, the former Chief of Staff of the Nationalist Kuomintang military, a renowned Guangxi Clique general known as the “Little Zhuge.” Because the walls were gray-white and the owner had the surname Bai, it was also called the “Bai Mansion.”

　　This garden-style Western house at No. 150 Fenyang Road was built in 1920 and originally served as the private residence of a French businessman. The entire structure is in the style of French classicism—elegant and dignified. The so-called French classicism refers to an architectural style used in European palaces, mansions, and official buildings during the 17th–18th centuries. It originated in France. At that time, France was the most powerful centralized kingdom in Europe, and the sense of order and the majestic image of classical architecture best reflected the ideology of centralized power and monarchy based on rationalist philosophy. Specifically, this style of architecture imitated ancient Roman architecture, revered classical columns, adhered strictly to classical compositional rules, and emphasized symmetry along the central axis and hierarchical relationships in overall layout and elevation design. It highlighted the center and geometric forms, promoting horizontal and vertical tripartite compositions rich in unity and stability. French classicist architecture also emphasized geometric composition in the layout of squares and gardens, trimming trees and flowers into geometric shapes.

　　The architectural form of Bai Chongxi’s mansion combines square and oval elements, with a total of three floors. Since both the exterior white walls and the marble spiral staircase rising straight up from the eastern wall to the second-floor balcony are white, the entire façade exudes a strong French flair. To convey grandeur, the designers set the basement as a semi-basement, with the southern façade’s ground floor accessed via eight steps leading up to a long open terrace. The center features a spacious Ionic-columned porch, flanked by symmetrical smooth-surfaced walls and display windows. The roof is flat with a relatively thick horizontal overhang. The corners of the building have indented and protruding treatments. The second floor also has Ionic pilasters. The window lintels are arched with keystone details, and some windows feature band-like decorative patterns with geometrically divided panes. Parts of the building have triangular pediments and circular ventilation windows, while the curved outdoor staircase is adorned with vase-shaped railings. The third floor has a large terrace supported by Tuscan columns. The canopy’s parapet is decorated with wineglass-shaped ornaments corresponding to the columns, and the parapet itself is made of perforated continuous arc-shaped floral motifs. The wall’s pilasters are distinguished from other parts by color. Entering through the north gate of the “Bai Mansion,” the first floor houses the kitchen and storage rooms. The second floor contains a large oval living room that was also used as a ballroom at the time. The east and west ends were originally dining rooms of the Bai Mansion. The hall opens southward onto the terrace, which faces the garden. The third floor was the bedroom of Bai Chongxi and his wife, with interiors displaying great luxury.

　　In 1948, Bai Chongxi’s son, Bai Xianyong, lived here just before leaving Shanghai. That New Year’s, he and his siblings invited their school friends in Shanghai to dance and celebrate here. In the spring of 1987, Bai Xianyong, by then a famous writer in Taiwan, returned to the place. As he stepped into the former grand living room, memories of 40 years ago suddenly flooded back. ... A room to the east of the third-floor bedroom of Bai Chongxi and his wife was once the office of Yuan Xuefen, honorary director of the Shanghai Yue Opera House, which happened to be Bai Xianyong’s old room.

　　After the liberation, the building served as the office and rehearsal space for the Shanghai Yue Opera Troupe. After the reform and opening-up period, the residence first housed the Yueyou Restaurant and is now the “Paulaner” restaurant, a Taiwanese-owned enterprise.

　　

　　Bai Chongxi (1893~1966)　　Bai Chongxi (March 18, 1893 – December 2, 1966), courtesy name Jiansheng, was a native of Guilin, Guangxi, and a first-class general of the Republic of China Army. He was a central figure in the New Guangxi Clique and, along with Li Zongren, was known as “Li-Bai.” The two worked seamlessly together for many years, initially joining Sun Yat-sen’s revolutionary camp in Guangzhou and later jointly ousting the old warlords in Guangxi. During the Northern Expedition, he led Guangxi troops all the way to Shanhaiguan. After the success of the Northern Expedition, he fought multiple battles against Chiang Kai-shek and other regional forces. When the War of Resistance Against Japan broke out, the two mobilized Guangxi troops to resist the Japanese and jointly commanded several major battles with repeated victories. After the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japan, Bai Chongxi served as... More+

　　Bai Xianyong 　　Bai Xianyong (July 11, 1937 – ), of Hui ethnicity, is a renowned contemporary Taiwanese writer, born in Guilin, Guangxi. He is the son of Bai Chongxi, a high-ranking general of the Chinese Nationalist Party. When Bai Xianyong was 7 years old, he was diagnosed with tuberculosis and could not attend school. He graduated from Jianguo High School in 1956. In 1965, after obtaining a master’s degree from the University of Iowa, Bai Xianyong went on to teach Chinese language and literature at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he eventually settled. He retired in 1994. His representative works include the short story collections “The Lonely Seventeen,” “Taipei People,” and “The New Yorkers,” the essay collection “Gazing Back Suddenly,” and the novel “Crystal Boys,” among others... More+