Ji Xiaolan's Former Residence

　　Destination Introduction Ji Xiaolan's Former Residence is located at No. 241, West Zhushikou Street. It is situated on the north side of West Zhushikou Street, at the site of the Jinyang Restaurant. The restaurant retains a two-courtyard siheyuan (traditional courtyard residence), with wisteria in the front courtyard and crabapple trees in the back courtyard that date back to the original property. In 1931, Yu Shuyan and Mei Lanfang established the "National Opera Academy," "National Opera Pictorial Society," and "National Opera Training Institute" at the former site of the cottage.

　　Ji Xiaolan (1724–1805), whose given name was Xun and courtesy name was Xiaolan, was from Xian County, Hebei Province. He was a scholar and litterateur of the Qing Dynasty, and served as an Associate Grand Secretary. He led the compilation of the Siku Quanshu (Complete Library of the Four Treasuries), and authored the 200-volume Siku Quanshu Zongmu Tiyao (General Catalogue of the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries) and Yuewei Caotang Biji (Notes from the Thatched Cottage of Close Scrutiny).

　　The former site of Yuewei Caotang is located in Hufangqiao. Originally, it was the residence of Yue Zhongqi, a powerful official during the Yongzheng era and the 21st-generation descendant of Yue Fei. Later, Ji Xiaolan lived here for over thirty years. After his death in 1805, since he also had a residence on Zhuchao Street, his descendants rented out half of this house to Huang Antao. Since then, it changed hands many times until October 1, 1958, when the Jinyang Restaurant opened here, after which there were no further changes.

　　Because the ownership of Ji Xiaolan’s Former Residence belongs to the Jinyang Restaurant, it is still managed by them. This may be the reason why the scattered genuine cultural relics related to Ji Xiaolan have not been purchased and preserved here. However, the ancient wisteria tree in front of the residence, with its dense shade, was indeed planted by Ji Xiaolan himself. In those days, Lao She often came here to enjoy Jin cuisine and admire the ancient wisteria, and even left behind a quatrain: “Camel hump and bear paw are nothing to boast about, cat-ear noodles and fish slices are both simple and splendid. The fragrant spring breeze fills the hall, how much spring is there? Ten zhang of purple wisteria flowers bloom in the courtyard.”

　　Overview: Ji Xiaolan's Former Residence is a two-courtyard siheyuan, adjacent to the Jinyang Restaurant. The historical relics in the residence include the wisteria in the front courtyard and the crabapple tree in the back courtyard, both planted by Ji Xiaolan himself. It is said that the crabapple tree even records a love story of its master.

　　Upon entering Yuewei Caotang, the most eye-catching item is the long dry tobacco pipe displayed in the glass case. As everyone knows, Ji Xiaolan was addicted to smoking, with an unusually heavy habit. His dry tobacco pipe was custom-made, capable of holding three or four taels of tobacco. When he was compiling the Siku Quanshu, he walked from his old house at Huai Xi to the Old Summer Palace, and only finished half of the tobacco, thus earning him the nickname "Ji the Big Tobacco Pipe."

　　Ji Xiaolan's Former Residence is a Qing-style brick-and-wood structure, essentially following the architectural layout of a two-courtyard siheyuan. It is oriented north-south, with a hard Mountain-style entrance gate featuring auspicious designs, located at the southeast corner of the entire residence.

　　The west-side south room connected to the gateway is a "reversed-seat" room with four doors. The front courtyard has a wisteria vine, said to have been planted by Ji Xiaolan himself. Despite over two hundred years having passed, it remains lush and leafy, shading the area. Lao She used to sit at the dining table under the wisteria, enjoying the scenery and delicious food. The front courtyard’s main building is a spacious hall with three rooms facing and six rooms in depth, featuring one door and two windows at the front, surrounded by brick carvings, and a door at the rear leading to the inner courtyard. There is also a corridor behind the hall, and wooden lattice windows above the beams inside. The hall is bright, spacious, elegant, and luxurious. At the back of the inner courtyard, there were originally two crabapple trees planted by Ji Xiaolan, but only one on the east side remains today, still sturdy and in full bloom. The front of the back courtyard is the "Yuewei Caotang" ("Thatched Cottage of Close Scrutiny"). The "cottage" has an inverted "convex" shape, consisting of three rooms in front and five in the back, with a front corridor, and is built with a hard Mountain-style roof. The front three rooms consist of a central entrance hall, with two side rooms separated by partition doors as "ear rooms." The back five rooms are the "cottage," spanning from east to west, with a depth of two rooms, totaling ten rooms. Inside the hall, a screen is placed centrally on the north wall, with a horizontal plaque hanging above it, inscribed with "Former Site of Yuewei Caotang," written by the famous calligrapher Qi Gong. Ji Xiaolan’s Former Residence has endured over two hundred years of vicissitudes, bearing numerous historical imprints and rich cultural heritage.

　　The protection of Ji Xiaolan’s Former Residence and many other cultural heritage sites has become a focal point of concern for many news media outlets and the public. It is a key cultural relic protected by Xuanwu District. Transportation Information Transportation: Take bus routes 105 tram, 743, 715, or 57 to Hufangqiao East Station.

　　 Beijing Xuanwu District

　　Ji Xiaolan (1724–1805)　　Ji Xiaolan (1724–1805), also known as Ji Yun, with the courtesy name Xiaolan, also called Chunchuan, and the pseudonym Shiyun in his later years, as well as the Taoist name Guanyi Daoren. He was from Cui'ezhuang Town, Cang County, Hebei Province. Born in June of the second year of the Yongzheng era (1724) during the Qing Dynasty, and died in February of the tenth year of the Jiaqing era (1805), he lived through the reigns of Yongzheng, Qianlong, and Jiaqing, and passed away at the age of 82. Due to his “quickness in learning and skill in writing, and ability in administration,” (as inscribed on the imperial stele granted by Emperor Jiaqing), he was posthumously given the title Wenda (literally "Cultured and Enlightened"), and was respectfully called Wenda Gong by his fellow villagers. Representative works: Siku Quanshu Zongmu Tiyao (General Catalogue of the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries), Yuewei Caotang Biji (Notes from the Thatched Cottage of Close Scrutiny). Introduction: The Ji family, after moving to Xian, was mainly engaged in agriculture. Thanks to their originally solid financial foundation, they quickly became...   More+

Ji Xiaolan’s Former Residence