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Home Travel in Zhejiang Former Residence of Lu Xun
Former Residence of Lu Xun
Travel in Zhejiang

  Former Residence of Lu Xun
Lu Xun
(lǔ xùn 鲁迅)(1881-1936), a great writer and scholar in China, was bom in Shaoxing City (shào xìng shì 绍兴市), Zhejiang Province (zhè jiāng shěng 浙江省) and lived here until he went abroad to study. When returned home to teach in a local school, he also lived here. He was died in 1936. Lu Xun was the chief commander of China's Modern Cultural Revolution, the greatest thinker and revolutionist.

Xiao Tang QianThe former residence of Lu Xun, Zhou Family New Tai Door (zhōu jiā xīn tái mén 周家新台门), is located in Dong Chang Fang Kou (dōng chāng fāng kǒu 东昌坊口), Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province, in the west of Lu Xun memorial Hall (lǔ xùn jì niàn guǎn 鲁迅纪念馆). It is a large Taimen building (tái mén jiàn zhù 台门建筑), the scale and structure are mostly the same as the old Taimen. The new tai door  is situated in the north and faces south with grey tiles. It has over 80 rooms in total and covers an area of more than 4,000 square kilometers including the Hundred Grass Garden (bǎi cǎo yuán 百草园). Lu Xun’s former residence is in the west of new tai door. The residence, a two-storied wooden structure in traditional style, it was here that he wrote his first novel. To the east of the residence is the Three Flavor Study (sān wèi shū wū 三味书屋), a private school that Lu Xun attended during his childhood. Hundred Grass Garden is in the rear of the house, where Lu Xun spent his childhood.

The residence is alongside two oily Shi Ku Gate (shí kù mén 石库门) which is the in and out places of Lu family. When entering the gate, Hundred Grass Gardenwalking through the long corridor, we got to the Osmanthus Bright Hall (guì huā míng táng 桂花明堂), there had two orange osmanthus trees, so Osmanthus Bright Hall got its name. When Lu Xun was a little boy, he usually enjoyed the cool under the orange osmanthus tree and listened to the stories which was told by his grandmother.

When pass through the Osmanthus Bright Three Flavor StudyHall, we can see the bedroom of Lu Xun. Actually, it was his bedroom and study when he taught in Shaoxing. Lu Xun always preparing lessons and writing till midnight. His first classical nover Reminiscence (huái jiù 怀旧) was finished here. There is a iron plow wood bed in the bedroom.

Walking through the courtyard, it is the intact two-storied structure, the east half room is the parlor, commenly called as Xiao Tang Qian (xiǎo táng qián 小堂前), it is the dining and reception room. Lu Xun received many friends and students when he taught in Shaoxing. Apart from desks and chairs, there is a leathern reclining chair in Xiao Tang Qian which was used by Lu Xun’s father Zhou Boyi (zhōu bó yí 周伯宜) who was a skilful writer (xiù cái 秀才), he stayed at home because did not pass the Xiangshi (xiāng shì 乡试). Zhou Boyi was very open-minded and had sympathy for the Westernization Movement (yáng wù yùn dòng 洋务运动), his skilful writer identity was canceled when Lu Xun’s grandfather was found cheat in an examination. After that, Zhou Boyi was very sad and drunk too much alcohol, at last he died in the age of twenty-six.

Luxun's BedroomThe rear of Xiao Tang Qian is the bedroom of Lu Xun’s mother Lu Rui (lǔ ruì 鲁瑞). She was kind and strong-willed, originally she was absolutely illiterate, but she learned by herself and can reading books. The south of the bedroom was her bed. The desk beside the northern window displays the materials that she had used, such as the plaque, scissors, ruler, powder bags, flatiron etc..

StatueThe west half room was the bedroom of Luxun’s step-grandmother The Jiang (jiǎng shì 蒋氏). The east room of the upstair is the bedroom of Lu Xun’s wedded wife Zhu An (zhū ān 朱安), she is a feudal woman, and couldn’t communicate freely with Lu Xun about culture and interests. Lu Xun married her not because he loved her but that his mother required him to do this, their marriage was exist in name only.

Walking through the long alley, we can see the kitchen. It displays a big three-eyes cooking stove, a eight immortals table and other cookers. In the west of the kitchen is three small bungalows, it is next to the Hundred Grass Garden which covers an area of 2,000 square meters. The garden can be divided into a big one and a small one. The big garden was in the south and small garden in the north. The article From Hundred Grass Garden to Three Flavor Study (cóng bǎi cǎo yuán dào sān wèi shū wū 从百草园到三味书屋) written by Lu Xun says that Hundred Grass Garden was his paradise. The Three Flavor Study is one hundred away from the residence.

When the residence’s master changed, the house had been rebuilt. Fortunately, Lu Xun’s residence didn’t change so much. After 1949, government appropriated funds to repaired it many times. The residence had resumed, most of the household effects had been found and displayed like the original order.

Former Residence of Lu Xun
Address:
No.208 of Lu Xun Road (lǔ xùn lù 鲁迅路), Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province
Admission fee: RMB 60 (including the ancestor’s residence of Lu Xun, Three Flavor Study and Baicao Garden )
Opening hours: 6:00 a.m.- 6:00 p.m.
Transportation:
Bus: No. 2,4,5,11,12,14,17