Former Residence of Mao Dun in Beijing

　　Located in Houyuan’ensi Hutong, Jiaodaokou, Dongcheng District, it is a municipal-level cultural heritage site. Mao Dun lived here from 1974 to 1981. The residence is a two-courtyard quadrangle covering an area of 878 square meters. Above the screen wall inside the entrance gate is a horizontal black marble plaque inscribed with the golden characters “Mao Dun’s Former Residence,” written by [name redacted]. The front courtyard has three north rooms, three wing rooms on each east and west side, and six reverse-facing rooms. The west wing room was originally Mao Dun’s reception room and — according to data sourced from Baidu Maps, final results are subject to Baidu Maps data.

　　— his study. The east wing room served as the dining room, while the rest were living quarters for family members and staff. The back courtyard contains six north rooms and two west wing rooms; the north rooms were originally Mao Dun’s workspace and bedroom. After his passing, two exhibition rooms were set up in the front courtyard displaying personal items and photos from Mao Dun’s life, including manuscripts, first editions of his works, letters, handwritten notes, and literary journals he once edited — totaling over 400 items. The main room in the back courtyard remains as it was: the entrance room serves as a living room, with a row of bookshelves along the north wall, books arranged exactly as they were in his lifetime. In front of the shelves sit a pair of single sofas. On the east side of the room near the window stands a writing desk. A door in the living room leads to the bedroom, where a small bed is placed centrally. To the left of the bed, a small table holds old periodicals used for researching his memoirs, as well as clippings he collected and books he read in his later years. The wardrobe and chest of drawers in the bedroom are original pieces. On a small wardrobe against the left wall rests the black lacquered carved urn of his wife, Kong Derang. The north room at the west end has been dedicated as the “Mao Dun Library,” housing his works and personal collection. In 1987, the protected area and its construction control zone were designated, with the protected area covering the courtyard at No. 13, Houyuan’ensi Back Street.
　　Facing Heizhima Hutong and located to the east of Houyuan’ensi Hutong, No. 13 is Mao Dun’s former residence. Not far down the hutong, you’ll find it. Compared to the many grand mansions in the area, Mao Dun’s home is very ordinary and unassuming — just a modest two-courtyard quadrangle. July this year marks the 110th anniversary of Mao Dun’s birth, and the residence has reopened after renovation. As I entered, I saw a bust of Mr. Mao Dun standing in the front courtyard. The surrounding rooms feature an exhibition on his life. The bedroom, living room, and study in the back courtyard are arranged as they were during his lifetime. After the liberation, Mao Dun had lived at No. 203, Dongsi Tiao 1, the dormitory of the Ministry of Culture, next to Zhou Yang, Yang Hansheng, and others. In 1974, he moved to Houyuan’ensi and stayed there until his death in 1981, spending the last seven years of his life in this small courtyard.  The main gate of Mao Dun’s Beijing Former Residence

　　Mao Dun moved into this courtyard in December 1974 and lived here until his passing in 1981. After his death, the residence was turned into an exhibition hall open to the public. The front courtyard houses two exhibition rooms displaying —

　　— personal items and images from Mao Dun’s life, including manuscripts, works, letters, handwritten notes, and the literary journals he edited, totaling more than 400 items. The six main rooms in the back courtyard hold the black lacquered carved urn of his wife, Ms. Kong Deranzhan. On May 24, 1984, No. 13, Houyuan’ensi, was designated as the “Former Residence of Mao Dun,” a municipal cultural heritage site in Beijing.

　　Architectural Style

　　　　Mao Dun lived here from 1974 to 1981. The residence is a two-courtyard quadrangle covering 878 square meters. Above the screen wall inside the entrance gate is a horizontal black marble plaque inscribed with the golden characters “Mao Dun’s Former Residence.” The front courtyard has three north rooms, three wing rooms on each east and west side, and six reverse-facing rooms. The west wing room was originally Mao Dun’s reception room and study. The east wing room served as the dining room, while the rest were family and staff quarters. The back courtyard contains six north rooms and two west wing rooms; the north rooms were originally Mao Dun’s workspace and bedroom. After his passing, two exhibition rooms were set up in the front courtyard displaying personal items and images from Mao Dun’s life, including manuscripts, first editions, letters, handwritten notes, and the literary journals he edited — totaling over 400 items. The main rooms in the back courtyard remain in their original state: the entrance room serves as a living room, with a row of bookshelves along the north wall, books arranged as they were during his life. In front of the shelves are a pair of single sofas. On the east side of the room near the window sits a writing desk. A door in the living room leads to the bedroom, where a small bed is placed centrally. To the left of the bed, a small table holds old periodicals used for memoir research, as well as clippings and books he read in his later years. The wardrobe and chest of drawers in the bedroom are original. On a small wardrobe against the left wall is placed the black lacquered carved urn of his wife, Kong Derang. The north room at the west end is dedicated as the “Mao Dun Library,” which houses his works and personal collection. In 1987, the protection zone and construction control area were defined, with the protected area being within No. 13, Houyuan’ensi Back Street.

　　Exhibition Hall

　　Mao Dun lived here from December 1974 to March 1981. After his death, the residence became an exhibition hall. Covering 800 square meters with a built-up area of over 500 square meters, it is a small two-courtyard quadrangle. Upon entering, there is an 83-centimeter-tall white marble bust of Mao Dun on a black marble base. The front courtyard has 15 rooms; the west wing room, formerly a reception and study area, retains its original layout, furnished with items Mao Dun used in his lifetime. The exhibition rooms display items and images from Mao Dun’s youth to his passing, including manuscripts, first editions, letters, handwritten notes, and two primary school composition notebooks (the earliest known samples of his handwriting). The six main rooms in the back courtyard hold the black lacquered carved urn of his wife, Ms. Kong Deranzhan.

　　　　Value

　　Mao Dun had more than one residence in Beijing, but he spent the final days of his life in a home formed by two quadrangles in Houyuan’ensi Hutong. It’s only been a little over 20 years since his passing, so the residence is largely preserved in its original state. As a public attraction, it doesn’t get many visitors. Compared to large parks, it may seem a bit old, but for a writer who held such an important place in the history of modern Chinese literature, the value his former residence offers far exceeds the cost of a five-yuan ticket.

　　　　Houyuan’ensi Hutong

　　Mao Dun spent his final years here. In the 1960s and 70s, Houyuan’ensi Hutong was called Jiaodaokou South Third Lane. In the early 1980s, it reverted to its original name, “Houyuan’ensi Hutong.” According to the *Beiping Temples General Survey*, there used to be a temple here called Yuan’en Temple, “built during the Yuandade era and renovated through successive dynasties.” Over time, the temple has vanished without a trace, leaving only the name behind. Attentive visitors can still sense the weight of history in the name. Without much trouble, reporters spotted the “Mao Dun Former Residence” right in the middle of the hutong. On the gate hung three or four plaques: one marking it as a “cultural heritage site,” another as a “Dongcheng District Youth Patriotic Education Base,” and a brand-new silver-gray sign reading “Mao Dun Former Residence Introduction.” The entrance fee to Mao Dun’s Former Residence is five yuan per person. Mao Dun lived in three main places in his life. To break it down: Wuzhen was his first hometown, where he was born and received elementary education. Shanghai was his second, where he first published his novel *Disillusion* under the pen name Mao Dun. Beijing was his third. In the early 20th century, he studied here; in the mid-20th century, he lived here for over 30 years. In Beijing, Mao Dun transformed from a literary creator into an organizer and leader in China’s cultural sphere, until the end of his 81-year life.

　　　　Shortly after the founding of the People’s Republic, at the repeated invitation of Mao Zedong and [name redacted], Mao Dun became the first Minister of Culture of New China, residing in a three-story building in the Ministry of Culture compound. Later, due to his advanced age and difficulty climbing stairs, Mao Dun and his family found the current house in Houyuan’ensi.
　　This is a century-old courtyard. Judging from the double eaves on the old house, those who lived here during the Qing Dynasty were at least officials of fourth rank or higher. But over the years, through the Republican era and after the liberation, the house was remodeled into a more spacious and livable home. There is no second gate between the front and back courtyards; instead, access is through a small passage made of blue bricks in the northeast corner of the front courtyard.
　　Architectural Features

　　In the back courtyard, only the north room is part of the original structure; the red-brick side rooms on the east and west sides were added later. This north room is divided into four sections: the westernmost room was where Mao Dun’s young granddaughter stayed. Next is the reception room where he met close friends; beside the sofa in the reception room sits a white-painted refrigerator with a peculiar shape — its top looks like it’s wearing a big hat. It turns out that the refrigeration unit of first-generation fridges was located on the top. The middle room served as Mao Dun’s bedroom. There’s an iron-wire single bed painted white, with pillows, mattress, and sheets just as they were before his passing. Beside the bed is a wooden desk holding a dozen pens, stacks of old newspapers, and a lamp. In his later years, due to limited mobility, Mao Dun could no longer write in the study, so all his reading and writing were done at this desk. After the Cultural Revolution, Mao Dun stopped writing until 1976, when he decided to pen his final work — the memoir *The Road I’ve Traveled*. Under the light of that lamp, the elderly man wrote: “Knowing my days are numbered, everything I’ve seen, heard, and experienced flashes before me like broken film. Emotions well up, mingled with a sense of futility.” This feeling wasn’t unique to him — anyone in their twilight years might feel this resigned acceptance, or bittersweet contentment. The easternmost room is the washroom. The bathrobe, described by his son Wei Tao as “covered in patches,” still hangs on the bathroom wall, as if waiting quietly for its owner’s return.

　　　　Compared to the back courtyard, the front courtyard is complete with southern, northern, western, and eastern rooms — a classic quadrangle. The front section of the yard has a square grape trellis, where Mao Dun once installed a swing to play with his granddaughter. The swing is gone now, but the trellis remains. In the transitional season between winter and spring, it seems not yet awakened from hibernation, its leaves still yellowed. At the back of the yard stands a white plaster bust of Mao Dun.

　　In the past, the front courtyard was home to Mao Dun’s son and daughter-in-law, his secretary, and his guard. Now, the west wing room remains his library, with thousands of books neatly lined on five shelves — some foreign translations from the 1920s and 30s may even be unique copies today. The north room and east wing room have become the “First Exhibition Room” and “Second Exhibition Room” of the “Mao Dun Former Residence,” showcasing all his literary works, including translations, numerous photos and albums, as well as items he used like ink boxes and teacups. A long-stopped Shanghai-brand pocket watch still dutifully serves as an exhibit. To the west of the north room is the residence office, and next to the west library is a small reception room where Mao Dun met less familiar guests.
　　In the front courtyard, besides the “Mao Dun Former Residence,” another organization is based here: the office of the China Mao Dun Research Association, located in the south room. Established in 1983, literary giants such as Ye Ziming, Zhou Yang, Feng Mu, and Kong Luosun once gathered here to reminisce about the elder statesman. Today, academic research and discussions continue, but due to the limited space and outdated facilities, the south room is no longer used as an office or meeting area. It remains locked, set up as a conference room, with pots of Chlorophytum still thriving vibrantly.
　　Mao Dun
　　(1896–1981)

　　Mao Dun (July 4, 1896 – March 27, 1981), originally named Shen Dehong, used the pen names Mao Dun, Langsun, Xuanzhu, Fangbi, Zhijing, Pulao, Weiming, Shen Zhongfang, Shen Mingfu, and others. His courtesy name was Yanbing, and he was from Tongxiang, Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province. Mao Dun was born into a family with rather progressive ideas and received a modern education from a young age. He later enrolled in the preparatory course at Peking University and joined the Commercial Press after graduation, embarking on a path to reform Chinese literature and art. He was a pioneer of the New Culture Movement and a founding figure of revolutionary literature and art in China. Mao Dun was also a renowned modern Chinese writer, literary critic, cultural activist, and...  More+ Beijing Mao Dun Former Residence is a　　-rated tourist attraction

The former residence of Mao Dun in Beijing isAAa Grade