Xue Family Garden

Also known as the Former Residence of Xue Fucheng and Qinshi Mansion, this location is situated in Wuxi City and was the residence of Xue Fucheng, a late Qing dynasty thinker, diplomat, and a representative figure of the early bourgeois reformist faction. Today, the ancestral home still bears the blue and gold characters ‘Qinshi Mansion’ inscribed by Emperor Guangxu on the main gate. The architecture of the residence is a harmonious blend of Chinese and Western styles. The first four buildings on the central axis, including the front hall, sedan hall, main hall, and rear hall, are all in Chinese architectural style, while the rotunda, billiard house, and eastern residence are in Western style.

The main hall is the most significant and luxurious hall in the entire residence, showcasing numerous brick carvings, wood carvings, gold leaf lighting, and vermilion painted decorative panels, all of which display its grandeur. The large rotunda, which is impressive for its size in China, is a two-story building in the shape of a ‘huí’ character, with a central courtyard, and now houses a restaurant. Interestingly, these were designed by Xue Fucheng himself, who ingeniously used double-section double-row columns to transform the oversized nine-bay structure into three three-bay structures, and also divided the rotunda into the regulated five-bay structure, showing that this late Qing official also had the talent to be an architect.

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In the summer and during major festivals, the residence sometimes hosts night tours, during which all halls are illuminated, and visitors can enjoy different opera performances in different halls. The opening hours are from 09:00 to 17:00 all year round. Preferential policies include: Elders aged 70 and above from Wuxi are admitted for free in groups of 10 or more; Elders aged 60 to 70 can purchase senior tickets at half price; Children under 1.4 meters in height are admitted at half price; Military personnel and disabled persons with valid identification receive half-price admission.

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Please note that the above information is for reference only, and specific details should be confirmed with the scenic area on the day of the visit. The method of entry will be announced before the scenic area resumes operations.

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