Zeng Guofan
2022-05-23
Zeng raised the Xiang Army to fight effectively against the Taiping Rebellion. He was appointed Viceroy of Liangjiang (the provinces of Jiangxi, Anhui, and Jiangsu) and advocated the Self-Strengthening Movement in the 1860s to the 1890s. Zeng is regarded as the initiator of Chinese modern culture, the representative of Hunan Culture and traditional Chinese culture, and the last great man in feudal society of China.
Built in 1865, Zeng Guofan’s Former Residence is located in Heye Town, Shuangfeng County, Loudi City, Hunan Province.
The residence includes a pond of half-moon shape, archway, main building, three private libraries, lotus bond, bird and crane pavilion, chess pavilion, Cunpu pavilion and Siyun Pavilion.
Covering a total area of over 40,000 square meters and a construction area of 10,000 square meters, the whole residence is made of stones and wood. It comprises various buildings and looks magnificent as well as quaint. As the most important parts of the residence, three libraries, once collected more than 300,000 volumes, now act as one of the largest private library compounds in China.
