Former Residence of Wei Yuan in Shaoyang

　　The former residence of Wei Yuan is situated on a sandbank in Xuewanwan Village, Simenqian Town, Longhui County. It is 3 kilometers from Simenqian Town and 60 kilometers from Longhui County seat. The site covers a total area of approximately 2,300 square meters. In 1794, Wei Yuan, a renowned patriotic thinker, historian, and litterateur in modern Chinese history, was born here. His given name was Yuanda, courtesy name Liangtu, and literary name Moshen. A celebrated scholar and one of China’s pioneering enlightenment thinkers of the modern era, he hailed from Shaoyang, Hunan. He stands as one of the finest representatives among the first group of Chinese intellectuals to “open their eyes and look at the world.” He proposed a series of visionary reforms including improving governance, encouraging free expression, attracting foreign investment, revitalizing industry, promoting talent, enlightening the populace, strictly prohibiting opium, and strengthening national defense. Later generations praised him as someone who “achieved scholarly fame and political accomplishment in life” and left behind a “broad and profound legacy for posterity.” His proposition of “learning from the barbarians’ advanced technology to control the barbarians” had a profound impact not only in China but also worldwide. The former residence was designated as a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit in 1983, recognized as one of Hunan Province’s first batch of patriotic education bases in 1995, and in November 1996, it was announced by the State Council as a national key cultural relics protection unit.

　　The residence was originally built in the early years of the Qing Dynasty's Qianlong reign and was part of the inheritance left by Wei Yuan’s grandfather, Xiaoli Gong. It is a wooden quadrangle courtyard with two main buildings and two wing rooms. The front of the courtyard features a wooden gatehouse, surrounded by rammed-earth walls, forming an independent compound. The total width is about 43 meters, and the depth is about 54 meters, covering a total area of approximately 2,300 square meters. The gatehouse is located to the left front of the main house, facing 20° northeast. It was built around the early Qianlong period. The two main buildings and the left wing room are single-story structures with single-eave gable roofs covered with small blue tiles. The main house has five bays in width and two in depth; the left wing room also has five bays in width and two in depth. The right wing room is a two-story building with seven bays in width and four in depth; the ground floor includes five bays entirely used as grain storage, with stairwells at both ends. The upper floor served as a study, adorned with a couplet: “In quiet contemplation of all things, one finds contentment within; in the delightful moods of the four seasons, one shares joy with the world.” Everything upstairs remains as it was. The desks and benches in the lecture hall are still neatly arranged, though now vacant. The study and Wei Yuan’s bedroom stand in a row, with remnants of the past present — once, a student’s witty retort to a teacher’s line “willow catkins flying all red” saved the day when the master was met with laughter. Artifacts like the inkstone Wei Yuan used for study, inscribed on the back with “Ink is treasure, books are fragrant; an acre of land yields rice and grain,” and a bamboo bookweight engraved with “Literature is born of emotion, imbued with spring; inspiration knows no ancient bounds,” are said to have been preserved. Displayed in the bedroom are an inkstone and a paperweight inscribed with “Study regularly when the time comes,” serving as substitutes. The most eye-catching item is the old-style drawer desk and the tung oil lamp on it, both bearing marks of age and history. Perhaps due to the “ink is treasure, books are fragrant” aura, mice gnawed two fist-sized holes in the desk drawers — like two eyes peering through history into the future. It is said that Wei Yuan was “reserved in speech, few in desires, and regardless of bitter cold or scorching heat, never let go of his books; even when meeting close friends, he would read and compose poetry at his desk after only a brief chat.” Thus, he accumulated profound knowledge, gradually developed his unique system of thought, and made original academic achievements. His close friend Gong Zizhen once gave him a couplet: “Read ten thousand books, travel ten thousand miles; synthesize the classics of an era, establish your own school of thought.”

　　The site of Wei Yuan’s former residence, though called a sandbank, is actually a raised dwelling platform. Because of its long, narrow, boat-like shape, it is also known as “Boat-Shaped Ground.” Surrounded by open fields, a clear stream called Jinshui River flows behind the courtyard. On both sides of the river lie Lion Mountain and Elephant Mountain standing opposite each other, with Lion Mountain appearing to charge and Elephant Mountain to pounce. Together with the Five Main Peaks to the south — which resemble towering floodgates — they form the famous local scenery known as “Lion and Elephant Guard the Water Mouth, Golden Plank Clears the Dragon Gate.” In the distance to the south stands Zhongbijia Mountain, a majestic range formed by three mountain peaks aligned side-by-side like a giant writing brush rest, directly facing the study tower. According to elders in the area, it was the spiritual influence of Brush Rest Mountain that nurtured a scholar of Wei Yuan’s caliber. When Wei Yuan was 27, his family moved to settle in Jiangsu, and he rarely returned to his former home afterwards. During the land reform in 1951, the house was allocated to several poor and lower-middle peasants, including Wei Huabo, a descendant of Wei Yuan’s clan. In 1994, the People’s Government of Longhui County allocated special funds to relocate all residents inside the residence, taking it under state ownership. In 1994, 2000, and 2006, the National Cultural Heritage Administration allocated funds for renovation work on three separate occasions.

　　

　　Wei Yuan (1794~1857)　　Wei Yuan (April 23, 1794 – March 26, 1857) was an Enlightenment thinker, statesman, and litterateur of the Qing Dynasty. A progressive thinker, historian, and staunchly patriotic scholar opposed to foreign aggression, Wei Yuan, like Lin Zexu, was among the most visionary figures of the Opium War period who “opened their eyes to the world.” He firmly resisted invasion while emphasizing the importance of understanding and learning Western science and technology as a crucial means of counteracting aggression. Wei Yuan was highly erudite and prolific, with major works including Book of Ancient Meanings in the Classics, Poetic Ancient Meanings, Silent Observer, Original Meaning of Laozi, Sacred Military Records, New Compilation of Yuan History, and Illustrated Gazetteer of Maritime Countries. ...... Details+