The Nanluoguxiang area of Beijing's Xicheng District was once the center of the Yuan capital, and during the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was a place of great wealth and nobility, with streets and alleys crowded with dignitaries and dignitaries, and there were countless mansions.
One day in October 2014, I went to Nanluoguxiang to explore the former residences of celebrities, among which the last queen Wanrong's maiden home - No. 37 and No. 35 courtyards of Mao'er Hutong are the former residences and gardens of Wanrong before entering the palace, and No. 37 is the west courtyard, which is Wanrong's former residence; No. 35 is the East Courtyard, which is Wanrong Garden. Both of these sites have signage right outside the door, but they are not open to the public. Many tourists stop here to take pictures, and there are many discussions, and it can be seen that the last queen is still very popular.
"Old House" and "Wanrong Garden"
"Wanrong's House"
No. 37, Mao'er Hutong
Just as I was about to leave, a door to Wanrong's former residence (No. 37) opened, and a middle-aged lady came out and stood at the door, medium to tall figure, ordinary clothes, good temperament, and looked kind. I looked through the door, and there was an inner wall blocking it, and I couldn't see it inside. I know that there are many former residences of celebrities in Beijing that are not open, and it is not a special relationship, but it is generally "idlers are not allowed to enter", and if you force yourself to break in, you will be kicked out.
You can't attack, you can only outwit. I accosted the lady and said, "It's a pity that Wanrong's former residence is not open!" During the conversation, he expressed his admiration and sympathy for Wanrong, and said that he wanted to write a book about the puppet Manchukuo, and wanted to come to see Wanrong's former residence, and he didn't want to be really unlucky, hey...... She moved slightly, and said politely, "You are ......" I said that I was studying history and was in an academic research department of the army, and showed her a military ID. I should have been lucky that day, maybe I still look like a regular person, she turned her head and signaled "come with me", I was overjoyed and walked in with her.
After entering, I couldn't help but be a little disappointed......
Entering the gate, there was a passage first, which should have been quite spacious, and a few simple small rooms used as kitchens and miscellaneous items were added, which seemed crowded and chaotic.
The aisles are a bit messy
I turned a corner to see the inner door of the courtyard, and I can vaguely see the style of the year from the carved gatehouse. The paint on the door was almost colorless, and it was peeling off a little.
The gate is magnificent, but it's too old
When you enter the door, it's like an ordinary courtyard house, with a row of main houses opposite, and the grass on the roof is so high!
It's a miscellaneous courtyard
Because I didn't know if people were willing to do it, I took a few quick photos as I walked. It seems to have acquiesced. The lady was very polite, guided all the way and gave a brief introduction. I couldn't see the whole picture of the courtyard, I don't know how many rooms there are, but I can see that the courtyard is very large.
There is a moon gate between the west courtyard and the east courtyard, through the moon gate is the Wanrong Garden, the corridor inside, stacked stones, not so crowded, it is said that it is now an office place. The lady didn't say let me in, and I just looked at the door.
It should be Wanrong Garden
There are three rooms in the east wing of Wanrong's former residence as "Wanrong's life exhibition room", which is mainly based on photos, and there are also some old objects, tables, chairs, cabinets and other furnishings. The lady specially instructed "don't take pictures", and I was embarrassed to violate the rules, we are rules people!
This is the introduction on the wall that I took when I first entered the house
Looking at the exhibition and listening to the lady's introduction, I have a deeper understanding of the tragic figure of Wanrong.
Wanrong's surname is Guo Buluo, the word Muhong, the number is Zhilian, and the Manchurian Zhengbai Banner (Daur nationality). Born in the 32nd year of Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty (1906). Its residence was built by Wanrong's great-grandfather, Jilin general Guo Buluo Changshun, and was later inherited by Wanrong's father, Guo Buluo Rongyuan, the minister of the palace and the interior of the palace, and was called Rongyuan Mansion. In the eleventh year of the Republic of China (1922), Wanrong was canonized as the queen, and Rongyuan Mansion was upgraded to Cheng'en Mansion, commonly known as "Niangniang Mansion".
As we all know, Pu Yi ascended the throne at the age of 3 in 1908, the Xinhai Revolution in 1911 overthrew Chinese feudal rule, and Pu Yi abdicated on February 12 in the first year of the Republic of China (1912), ending the rule of the Qing Dynasty. According to the preferential conditions of the Qing family agreed by the provisional government of the Republic of China, he still lived in the Qing palace and retained the imperial title, also known as "Qing Xun Emperor".
Before entering the palace in 1922 to marry Pu Yi, Wanrong lived for 16 years in her mother's house in Mao'er Hutong, where she spent her childhood and adolescence. According to Wanrong's younger brother, Wanrong had a special tutor to educate her when she was very young. After Wanrong became the empress, she met with the envoys of various countries with Emperor Puyi, and her beauty and grace impressed all the envoys' wives present.
Graceful after entering the palace
Wanrong is versatile, can do everything in piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, can speak English, entered the Forbidden City as the queen, and the Qing court also hired the American Ms. Ren Sam as Wanrong's English teacher. Wanrong often writes love letters in English with Pu Yi, Pu Yi's English name is "Henry", and Wanrong's English name is "Elizabeth". Wanrong can play the piano, likes to listen to foreign music, and watch foreign movies.
"Henry" and "Elizabeth"
Wan Rong and Ms. Sam, an English teacher
Graceful paintings
Wanrong had a bad fate, died before the age of forty, and died a miserable death, buried in a mass grave with a straw mat. After the liberation, the government sent people to the burial place to look for it, but the bones have long been gone. In 1994, Jilin Dunhua Liuding Mountain built a commemorative tomb for Wanrong. In 2006, Wanrong was buried on the left side of the Puyi Tomb (Offering Tomb) of Qingxi Mausoleum in Yi County, Hebei Province, and the right side was the tomb of Tan Yuling, a "lucky nobleman".
The tomb of Puyi in the Western Tomb of the Qing Dynasty, the tombstone reads "Aixin Jueluo Puyi", the left is "Guo Buluo Wanrong", and the right is "Tan Yuling"
During the epidemic, in the summer of 2021, I went to Wanrong's former residence again, and there was not much change, the sign at the door was renewed, which was clearer and more eye-catching than the original, but there was no "Wanrong Garden" anymore. Because it was during the epidemic, there were many fewer tourists, and the door was always closed, and the lady didn't see it.
"Old House" and "Wanrong's Former Residence"
Yesterday (July 5), I went around the Nanluoguxiang area again and visited Wanrong's former residence for the third time. There is still no sign of opening, and this time it is even worse, only the sign of "Old House" is seen, and the sign of "Wanrong's Former Residence" is gone. It is estimated that tourists are always harassing, and the residents are so annoyed that they simply knocked down the sign!
The "Old Mansion Garden" is still there, but the "Wanrong Former Residence" sign is gone
No. 37 Mao'er Hutong looks even more dilapidated, with the words "Tourists are not allowed to enter" and "Non-open units are not allowed to visit" written on the wall at the entrance.
The gate of No. 37 Mao'er Hutong has not changed much from ten years ago
The door is open, but who is too embarrassed to go in! This time I really left in a huff......
To say that this old mansion (Wanrong's former residence) was announced by the Beijing Municipal People's Government on May 24, 1984 as the third batch of municipal cultural relics protection units in Beijing, and it has been 40 years, how can it still be like this. Ay! There are too many former residences of celebrities in Beijing, and many of them are not well protected. It is said that not far from here, the former residence of Feng Guozhang, the president of the Republic of China (Keyuan), the former residence of the Qing prince Seng Lingqin (monk's palace), the former residence of Hong Chengchou, an important minister of the Ming and Qing dynasties, the former residence of Rong Lu (Puyi's grandfather), the former residence of Wang Shuchang, the general of the Republic of China, etc., are very regrettable and have not been opened. Only Qi Baishi's former residence (No. 13 Yu'er Hutong) and contradictory former residence (No. 13 Yuan'en Temple Hutong) are open in this vicinity.
Qi Baishi's former residence memorial hall
Wanrong's merits and demerits aside, after all, she is an important figure in modern Chinese history, and I hope that her former residence will be vacated, repaired, and sorted out as soon as possible, and opened to the outside world, which has both literary and historical value and united front significance, and has more economic income as a source of funds for the renovation of her former residence.
There is a poem that says:
Looking for the old traces of the century-old house,
The courtyard is deep out of the beauty.
Helpless and thin,
How can a talented woman fall into the dust!