Former Residence of Sun Zhongkai

　　The former residence of Sun Zhongkai is located at No. 120 Xinhua Road. Built in January 1933 and designed by the Chinese engineering firm Yan Ziheng, the Sun residence features a large courtyard with a triumphal arch-inspired gate and a traditional Chinese-style gatehouse. The courtyard is rectangular in shape, oriented from east to west, with the central building, east building, and west building arranged from north to south. All are constructed of brick and wood. The central building has three floors in the middle and four floors on the sides, with three floors at both ends, and is topped with a multi-sloped tiled roof. The ground floor’s central section protrudes to form a platform in front of the second-floor foyer, clad in red ceramic tiles, flanked by arched single-flight staircases painted to resemble bluestone. Except for the exterior façade, which uses fully glazed glass windows and concrete staircases, the rest of the structure features Philippine mahogany doors and windows as well as wooden stairs. The east building has two floors, with some parts extending to three, including a foyer, study, dining room, and living quarters on the first floor, and bedrooms and bathrooms on the second. The west building has three floors, with the central section of the ground floor protruding to form a foyer, whose roof forms a second-floor balcony equipped with decorative perforated railings in the style of classical vases. On either side of the balcony entrance on the second floor stand classical double columns that extend up through the third floor. The eaves feature triangular pediments. The top floor includes overhanging eaves and an ornamental parapet. The compound also houses a gatehouse, garage, kitchen, storage rooms, and a small garden. The building is currently used by the CPC Heping District Committee and is listed as a cultural relic protection unit of Tianjin.

　　Sun Zhongkai 　　Sun Zhongkai was a native of Tianjin, born in the 19th year of the Guangxu reign (1893). He was one of the “New Eight Great Families” of Tianjin (after the 1911 Revolution, Tianjin saw the rise of the so-called “New Eight Great Families,” many of whom, such as the Sun family of Yuanlong, the Ji family of Dunqinglong, the Fan family of Zhouyixing, and the Jin family of Ruixingyi, belonged to the emerging bourgeoisie). The Sun family amassed wealth through the cotton yarn trade and were the proprietors of the renowned Tianjin silk and satin shop Yuanlong. After 1921, he established the Qingsheng Cotton Yarn Store, which had an exclusive sales contract for all cotton yarn produced by the Yuyuan Cotton Mill. He also invested in various cotton yarn businesses such as Yuanju, Yuanyu, Tongchengxing, and Longsheng, as well as financial institutions like Pufeng, Xiangfeng, and Qingyi, and grain businesses such as Qingyi Rice and Flour Shop. He was a well-known commercial capitalist in Tianjin.... Details+