Former Residence of Sun Chuanfang

　　   The former residence of Sun Chuanfang is located at No. 15 Tai’an Avenue, Heping District, Tianjin. Built between 1921 and 1922, it was the most luxurious among his several residences in Tianjin. The structure is a two-story building made of brick and wood. It consists of a front section and a rear section, connected by a large glass window. The entrance features stone steps and four Ionic stone columns. The roof has a gentle slope, with varied window shapes and a small gray dome-shaped pavilion at the center of the ridge, reflecting an elegant and classic European eclectic architectural style. The interior decoration is lavish. This residence is currently used by the Tianjin Municipal Commission on Population and Family Planning and has been listed as a cultural relic protection unit of Tianjin.

　　   Sun Chuanfang (1885–1935), courtesy name Xinyuan, was born in Licheng, Shandong Province, and was one of the leading warlords of the Zhili Clique during the Republic of China period. While studying in Japan, he joined the Tongmenghui (Chinese Revolutionary Alliance). In 1923, he became the Military Governor of Fujian. During the Jiangsu-Zhejiang War of 1924, he expanded his forces and, starting from October 1925, drove out the Fengtian Clique’s forces in Jiangsu and Anhui. In November of that year, he declared the establishment of the United Army of Five Provinces—Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangsu, Anhui, and Jiangxi—in Nanjing, appointing himself as the Commander-in-Chief of the United Army and also as the Commander of Jiangsu, thus becoming the most powerful warlord of the Zhili Clique. In 1926, he lost most of his elite troops while trying to block the Northern Expeditionary Army’s eastward advance. He later sought refuge under Zhang Zuolin and then Zhang Xueliang, and was eventually assassinated in Tianjin by Shi Jianqiao.

　　

　　Sun Chuanfang (1885~1935)　　   Sun Chuanfang (1885–1935), courtesy name Xinyuan, was a native of Tai’an, Shandong Province, and leader of the Zhili Clique. Orphaned at a young age and raised under others’ care, he joined the military and through persistent effort, went to Japan to study in 1904. Graduated from the Imperial Japanese Army Academy in 1908, he returned to China in 1909 and successively served as a battalion commander, regiment commander, and brigade commander in the Beiyang Army. In 1923, he led his troops into Fujian, suppressed a rebellion there, and was appointed as the Military Governor of Fujian. From September 1924, when the war broke out, he sent troops to assist Qi Xieyuan, launching a pincer attack on the Anhui Clique’s Lu Yongxiang, thereby taking control of Zhejiang. In October 1925, he drove out the Fengtian Clique’s forces in Jiangsu and Anhui, and in November of that year, he declared the establishment of... Details+