Cihong Former Residence — Attraction in Shantou

About 25 kilometers (16 miles) from Shantou City (汕頭市）, Chen Cihong's Former Residence （陳慈黉故居） is situated in Qianmei Village （前美村） in Chenghai District （澄海區）. The residence covers an area of approximately 6 acres. It is one of the most famous tourist attractions in the city. Chen Cihong's Former Residence started being built in the second year of Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty （清光緒二年） (1876) and lasted for nearly half a century. Chen Cihong (1843-1921) was a famous overseas Chinese industrialist and financier in Thailand. His family was very rich. He was respected by the local people because he was an enthusiastic participant in public welfare by building schools, bridges and roads in his hometown. Consisting of 506 halls and rooms, the residence is composed of four parts, Lang Zhong Di （廊中地）, Shou Kang Li (壽康里）, Shan Ju Shi (山居堂）and San Lu （三綠竹齋）. Shan Ju Shi is the most representative of the four houses. Including 202 halls and rooms, it is the largest and best preserved. This house combines the Eastern and Western architectural styles. It features Chinese traditional corridors and arch structure together with the Western style of balconies and large windows. It retains the architectural style of Chaoshan residences (潮汕民居）such as “Xia Shanhu”（夏珊瑚）,”Four Points of Gold” (金四分）and “Si Ma Tuo Che”（司馬陀車）and imitates the classical Chinese palace-style architecture. The main hall of the residence is arranged in a “four-point gold” layout. The side fire lanes （側火巷） (also known as “double-back swords”) (雙背劍）are similar to the Beijing Forbidden City’s East and West Palace formats, divided into several small courtyards. It is said that this house was constructed under the supervision of the wife of Chen Litong (陳立同）, the fourth son of Cheng Cihong. The last two are Shou Kang Li （壽康里）and San Lu （三綠竹）Consisting of 95 rooms and 21 halls, Shou Kang Li has its own unique features. Colorful glass embedded in the windows and doors and adds much magnificence to the house. San Lu is a two-storey house with 26 rooms and 4 halls. It is also called Niangzi's House （娘子屋）or Xiaojie's House （小姐屋）. Niangzi and Xiaojie respectively mean 'one's wife' and 'the females who have not got married' in Chinese. The whole architectural structure of Chen Cihong's Former Residence is built on the model of 'four horses pulling a carriage' （四馬拉車）. Take the No. 103 city bus at People's Square (Renmin Guangchang) in Shantou (汕頭市）or Chenghai Bus Station （澄海車站） to Chen Cihong's Former Residence. Admission Fee CNY 50 Opening Hours...

Limited areas for public viewing. Not worth the time, even though the entry fee was cheap.

You go through the front gate leading to the courtyard and pond. Just before the courtyard there are diagrams and an aerial of the entire complex.

However, you only get to see a southeast portion of the complex, or roughly 1/8 of the entire development. Then you walk westward, along the northern elevation of the pond, which ends at the public restrooms.

Looking at the initial diagrams and aerials leads one to assume that the entire complex was opened to the public.

Overall, a short and disappointing attraction. Not worth the time.

-- Tourist...

My wife and I appreciated this place very much as we came here from Singapore to visit our roots. It's amazing how our ancestors braved the journey and gave their lives to making a living in Singapore. This place serves to remind me of the generosity of our...