Former Residence of Liu Yazi in Shanghai

　　    No. 517 Fuxing Middle Road (formerly 557 Rue Lafayette) is a French modern-style garden residence that was the Shanghai home of Liu Yazi, a modern democratic revolutionary, founder of the Southern Society, and poet.

　　    This residence was built in 1926 and originally belonged to Feng Yuxiang. In 1936, Liu Yazi leased this Western-style house. The north-facing French garden villa features a double-pitched hip roof covered with red tiles, yellow walls, and a black-painted front gate. The exterior facade is rendered with roughcast cement, the door is arched, and the horizontal decorative bands between floors are distinctly red and white. The interior includes wooden furnishings, flooring, and doors and windows. The second floor of the small Western-style house is a large living room, while the third floor serves as both a living area and a study. The residence faces south and was originally designed as a Western-style courtyard, which still retains lush trees and green lawns. After passing through the surrounding wall and entering the black-painted gate, one can ascend the outdoor stone steps to the second-floor living room, or use the internal staircase. On the west side of the living room, a long row of tall bookshelves stands facing south, housing various publications from the eve of the Xinhai Revolution up to the 1930s. The left window on the third floor leads to Liu’s study.

　　    During his time here, Liu Yazi frequently interacted with He Xiangning, wife of Liao Zhongkai, and engaged in anti-Japanese and national salvation activities. He also completed compilations of historical materials on the Southern Society, authored *A Brief History of the Southern Society*, and produced handwritten manuscripts such as *The Remaining Collection of Manshu*, *Outline of the History of the Southern Ming Dynasty* in four volumes, and *Chronological Table of the Southern Ming* in one volume. With the help of Qian Ying and Zheng Zhenduo, he wrote several research articles related to the Southern Ming. Before leaving Shanghai, he completed *Liu Yazi’s (Self-Written) Chronicle*. Urged by underground CPC member Zhang Qiong, on December 13, 1940, he fled to Hong Kong aboard the ocean liner “Queen of Asia” with his wife Zheng Peiyi and second daughter Liu Wugou. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, Liu Yazi returned to Shanghai and continued to live here. He was often invited to the CPC delegation office on Sinan Road in Shanghai, where he worked for peace talks between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party. On October 18, 1947, he left for Hong Kong again.

　　    In February 1949, he was invited by Mao Zedong to go to Beijing to participate in the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. On October 11, 1950, he came from Beijing to Shanghai and once gathered joyfully with relatives and friends at home. At that time, Liu Yazi was in high spirits and recited Mao Zedong’s poem *Snow* (*Qinyuan Chun · Xue*) and his own response poem on the spot. When bidding farewell to Shanghai, he donated all the ancient books and historical materials collected by his family since the Ming and Qing dynasties, including materials on the Southern Ming, the Southern Society, and other revolutionary histories, as well as local documents from Wujiang totaling 44,000 volumes, to the state. These were housed in the Shanghai Library. He also gave the books from his former Shanghai residence to the Shanghai History Museum. Thereafter, he lived in Beijing for a long time and passed away in 1958.

　　    The former residence of Mr. Liu Yazi has now been converted into residential units, with multiple families living there. However, the front lawn and flowers remain lush and vibrant, just as they were in the past.

　　

　　Liu Yazi (1887~1958)　　    Liu Yazi (1887–1958): Originally named Weigao, courtesy name Anru, later changed his name to …, courtesy name Yalu, then changed to Qiji, also known as Jiafan, and used the courtesy name Yazi. Later, to unify his name, he adopted Yazi. A native of Lili Town, Wujiang, Jiangsu Province, he founded and presided over the Southern Society. He once served as Sun Yat-sen’s secretary, a central supervisory committee member of the Kuomintang, and director of the Shanghai Chronicles Office. After the “April 12” Incident, he was wanted and fled to Japan. He returned to China in 1928 and engaged in anti-Chiang activities. During the Anti-Japanese War, he participated in democratic and anti-Japanese activities with Soong Ching-ling, He Xiangning, and others. He served as a standing committee member and chairman of the Supervisory Committee of the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang, chairman of the … United Front... More+