Dongshan Villa

Dongshan Villa

The combination of Chinese and Western "Dongshan western style house" generally has red brick fair faced exterior wall, columnar porch, teak doors and windows, small courtyard "Dongshan western style house" is a unique residential building in Guangzhou, which not only confirms the history of multi-cultural coexistence in Yangcheng, but also constitutes a unique urban style here.

geographical position

Dongshan villa, located in xinhepu road and jiguyuan Road, Dongshan, Guangzhou, is quiet and tidy. The road is not wide, but there are lush ancient trees on both sides. There are big banyan trees and tall magnolia trees, which are cool and green. The most striking is the western style houses and residential buildings. They are generally single family, two or three stories high, red brick wall, with elegant western style colonnade.

architectural style

Some of these houses are slightly old, with mottled external walls that are speechless about the vicissitudes of life; others have been repaired and renovated, with wide and bright windows and snow-white curtains. This western style house is the place where the dignitaries, overseas Chinese and businessmen lived in the last century. First, overseas Chinese returned from overseas and built a number of western style houses in the former countryside. Then, high-ranking officials, military and political officials came here to build houses. For a time, "Dongshan western style houses" sprang up like mushrooms, forming a unique landscape totally different from "Xiguan big house".

In these western style houses, there were also figures of the times: Mao Zedong, Chen Duxiu, Li Dazhao, Tan Yankai, Chen Jitang It is still thrilling to review this period of history. Approaching Dongshan western style house, we seem to feel the rapid pulse of the city in that stormy era.

"At present, the western style houses along jiguyuan Road, xinhepu road and Peizheng road are the earliest residential areas with western style in Guangzhou. Most of them absorbed the villa form of European and American countries, and combined with the local architectural characteristics of Guangzhou. This new type of residential buildings breaks the stereotyped appearance of Guangzhou's residential buildings and is a breakthrough in the urban architectural style. " Chen Zehong, a researcher of Guangzhou Local Records Office, said.

historical period

Dongshan, outside the east gate of Guangzhou's old city, was mostly hilly wasteland and rural roads in the Ming Dynasty. All the people living here were rustic countrymen in the eyes of city dwellers. The saying that "the East Village is beautiful in the west, rich in the South and poor in the north" has appeared in the general annals of Guangdong in the Ming Dynasty. At the end of Ming Dynasty and the beginning of Qing Dynasty, there were also a number of gardens and temples in Dongshan, but they could not change the remote and desolate state. Until the beginning of the last century, Dongshan was a suburb about 1500 meters away from the city, with hills, rice fields, vegetable fields, fish ponds, tombs and bamboo forests. Farmers living here are from sibaidi village and Shanhe village, with few people.

In 1906, the Southern Baptist church built Shinto school and Peidao school in Dongshan, and moved all its institutions from Changdi to Dongshan. Later, it founded schools, hospitals and charities. Inspired by the revolution of 1911, the patriotic enthusiasm of overseas Chinese was stimulated, and some people began to return home for investment. Because of the strong religious atmosphere and complete living facilities in Dongshan, they chose Dongshan.

Layout structure

In 1915, Huang Kui Shi, a returned American capitalist, organized dayetang, and asked the government for more than 12000 square meters of Guigang wasteland. He leveled the land and divided it into Guigang No.1, No.2, No.3 and No.4 roads to deal in land transactions. Later, a group of American overseas Chinese from Kaiping came here to buy land and build houses. Soon after, two brothers, Yang Yuanrong and Yang tingai, who were overseas Chinese in the United States, dug and leveled the Jiangling hill near Guigang and built the Jiangling East West Street. This is the prelude for returned overseas Chinese to buy property in Dongshan. At the beginning of the development, there were no more than 100 buildings in Dongshan, and scattered on the hills.

After the first World War, more and more overseas Chinese returned to visit their relatives. They brought more remittances and were eager to find a way to increase investment value. Especially since the end of 1920s, the world capitalist economic crisis broke out. Some overseas Chinese returned home and moved part of their capital to China. The real estate investment in Dongshan reached a climax.

In the past, private houses and villas with European and American architectural style stood up in the countryside. According to incomplete statistics, even after the destruction of the war, before the founding of the people's Republic of China, there were still more than 400 western style houses along xinhepu road and jiguyuan road. After the founding of the people's Republic of China, Donghu Street investigated some overseas Chinese houses and found that the owners of these houses came from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Panama, Malaysia, the Philippines, Japan, Australia and other places, and most of them were American overseas Chinese. It can be seen that in the early 20th century, overseas Chinese who bought houses in Dongshan had a wide geographical distribution.

Main features

In the 1920s and 1930s, in Dongshan, in addition to the gathering of overseas Chinese, rich businessmen and tycoons, many military and political dignitaries also built buildings here. Hequn Road, Meihua Road, Dahua Road, Meihua village and other places are the main places for them to build villas.

One of the most impressive is Chen Jitang's residence in Meihua village. It was built in the 1920s, covering an area of 5610 square meters. There are four two-story brick and concrete buildings in the courtyard, which are connected by flyovers or stairs. The courtyard is planted with green bamboos, flowers and plants. The rockery, flowing water and six corner pavilions of traditional gardens are in contrast with the Western style pillars. Plum blossom is planted on both sides of the main road in front of the gate, hence the name of plum blossom village. Around it, there are Lin Zhimian residence in the East, Xu Jingtang residence in the south, Lin Shiqing residence and Chen Weizhou residence in the west, and Li Yangjing residence in the southwest. All kinds of western style buildings have sprung up in this area. At that time, more than 20 military and political figures of the national government, such as Lin Yizhong, Sun Ke, Lin Yimin and Chen Qingyun, were also well-known figures in the military and political circles. Yu hanmou, a senior general of the Kuomintang, built three buildings in Baoan back street and one two-story building in Baizi road. Li hanhun, the Anti Japanese patriotic general of the Kuomintang, built a three story building on xinhepu road. Hu Hanmin, a senior official of the Kuomintang, and Lin Sen, chairman of the Kuomintang government at that time, all had houses on Yandun road. Even warlords Yan Xishan and Yu Youren, who have always lived in other provinces, once lived in Dongshan.

In addition, many influential figures of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party have lived here, such as Mao Zedong, Chen Duxiu, Li Dazhao, Zhang Tailei and Luo Zhanglong who lived in Chunyuan, Liao Zhongkai who lived in Keyuan, and Tan Yankai, chairman of the national government who lived in Jianyuan.

Most of the owners living in western style houses have superior living conditions and are deeply influenced by western culture. A cup of black tea, a fireplace and a western style house are their life portraits. Because they are far from the general public in dress, lifestyle and aesthetic taste, they are called "Dongshan young master".

Five overseas Chinese parks

On the map, xinhepu Road, jiguyuan Road, Peizheng road and other streets are not impressive.

In 1920, when the Baptist Church of Guangdong and Guangxi built a residential area for overseas Chinese, the road was opened up next to the courtyard and got its name. Although this slightly narrow street is only a few hundred meters long, you can see Kuiyuan and Chunyuan when you go straight ahead. These two western style houses, together with Yuyuan, Mingyuan and Jianyuan, are collectively known as the "five overseas Chinese gardens" in Dongshan, which are more representative in the construction of western style houses in Dongshan.

On this sunny day, we stopped and walked in the neighborhood along the jiguyuan road and began to look for Dongshan villa.

Kuiyuan

Kuiyuan is located at No. 9, jiguyuan road. It's easy to find because it's facing a wide square with a monument to the site of the third National Congress of the Communist Party of China. Kui garden was built in 1922 by Ma Zhuowen, an American overseas Chinese. After more than 80 years, the red bricks on the exterior walls of this three story, reinforced concrete house are still in good condition. The imitation Greek style columns on the first and second floors were repainted. There is a prominent arched building above the building, and there is the word "1922" on the gate. According to the custom of Western architecture, this may be the construction year of Kuiyuan.

Kuiyuan is a private courtyard surrounded by a wall. In front of the house, there are two straight fake betel nut trees, straight into the sky. In the past, the courtyard of Kuiyuan was full of flowers and trees, especially pukui trees, which were lush, so people gradually called it "Kuiyuan".

Kuiyuan itself has few stories, but it has played a unique and glorious role in history.

It turns out that the reason why the site of the third National Congress of the Communist Party of China chose a humble brick and wood structure tile house on the road to the orphanage is that it is located in the suburb, remote and quiet, and sparsely populated, which is conducive to the confidentiality work. However, representatives from other places came to Guangzhou to attend the meeting, but encountered the difficulty of finding the meeting site. Fortunately, Kuiyuan, which is facing the site of the third National Congress of the Communist Party of China, is very prominent in a low old tile roofed house, especially the word "1922" on the doorstep, which has become a coordinate representing the accurate identification of the location of the venue of the third National Congress of the Communist Party of China. Later, during the Anti Japanese War, the site of the third National Congress of the Communist Party of China was bombed into a piece of rotten land. It was Kuiyuan that the site was re identified.

Spring Garden

From Kuiyuan continue to walk south, to the end is the spring garden.

Spring garden was built by overseas Chinese in the United States in the early 20th century. The houses are located in the north and south. In front is the new Hepu Road, and further ahead is the new Hepu River surrounded by green trees. In the past, motor boats could pass through the river. There was a Cigu pond beside the stream. It can be seen that this area had convenient transportation in those days, and it was surrounded by many rivers

Chinese PinYin : Dong Shan Yang Fang