Tips in Tianjin

Zhangyuan Garden

 

This grand mansion at 59 Anshan Road, Heping District, was built in 1915 by Zhang Biao, a former high-ranking official in the Qing Court. In 1924, Dr. Sun Yat-sen and his wife Soong Ching Ling stayed in the house for several months. In 1925, Puyi, the last emperor of China, had a brief stay here after he was exiled from Beijing. It was in this house that he set up what he called the “Qing Court Office in Tianjin.” It is certainly a strange coincidence that the founder of the Republic of China and the last emperor chose exactly the same place to live, though at different times – and this odd fact has always interested historians. The mansion is visible from the street, but the buildings and gardens are not open to the public at present.