Kang Youwei’s Former Residence is a national key cultural relics protection unit and a renowned scenic spot both domestically and internationally. It comprises the Kang Youwei Memorial Hall, Kang Youwei’s Former Residence, Kang’s Ancestral Hall, Danru Pavilion, Songxuan, and Lotus Pond, covering an area of over 20,000 square meters.
The Kang Youwei Memorial Hall consists of two exhibition floors, showcasing Kang Youwei’s life from his diligent studies in youth, his determination to serve his country in young adulthood, his humble petitions for reform in middle age, his efforts to save the nation from crisis through reform, his exile overseas after the failure of the reform, and his establishment of the Society for Strengthening Studies and his writing activities. This provides insight into the life of this great man’s struggle for truth and his deep cultural and historical significance.
Kang Youwei’s Former Residence, also known as ‘Yanxiang Ancient House,’ was built in 1858, where Kang Youwei was born. The residence features a Qing Dynasty brick and tile house with a single room, a hall, two bedrooms, and two corridors, typical of the Pearl River Delta. Yanxiang Ancient House is constructed with blue bricks and wooden beams, exuding an antique charm. The main hall has a loft built with black wooden planks, and a skywell is left in the middle of the two corridors, ensuring ample light and good ventilation, making the environment comfortable with warm winters and cool summers.
Yanxiang Ancient House is a well-preserved Qing Dynasty building with high aesthetic and research value. It is within this residence that Kang Youwei read extensively in both Chinese and Western literature, forming the initial framework of his reformist ideas, and drafted the preliminary manuscript of his renowned work ‘The Book of Great Unity,’ which continues to be highly regarded both in China and abroad. Kang Youwei spent a significant part of his youth in this residence, imbuing it with rich cultural connotations.
The residence is open all year round from Tuesday to Sunday, 09:00-17:00, and closed on Mondays (except for public holidays and special circumstances).Related posts:
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