Tianjin, an ancient city with a history of more than 600 years, has been home to many eminent or well-known people. Though their occupants have passed away, the houses standing quietly in the city remind us of bygone days and the memorable history left behind.

Let's take a tour of the former residences of the noted people who have lived in Tianjin.

Former residence of Liang Qichao

Liang Qichao (Feb 23, 1873 - Jan 19, 1929) was a Chinese thinker, politician, educator, historian, writer and one of the leaders of the Hundred Days' Reform or Wuxu Reform in 1898.

Located on Minzu road, Hebei district, the Liang Qichao Memorial Hall is mainly composed of the former residence of Liang and his study — the Yinbingshi Study (Ice-drinker's Studio). 

The residence is divided into 12 exhibition rooms centered on the theme of "Liang Qichao and Modern China". The exhibitions show pictures and texts about Liang's contributions during his lifetime, including such events in the modern history as the Hundred Days' Reform, and the Paris Peace Conference. The last exhibition room is about Liang's family and his nine sons and daughters.

The Yinbingshi Study was a two-floor Italian-style building, with features of the Renaissance period. The first floor was where Liang worked and the second floor, decorated in both Chinese and Western styles, was where he lived. The study witnessed the birth of some of Liang's well-renowned works like Confucian Philosophy.

Former residence of Li Shutong

Li Shutong (Oct 23, 1880 - Oct 13, 1942) was a famous Chinese musician, art educator and calligrapher, as well as one of the pioneers of Chinese drama. After returning to China from studying in Japan, he served as a teacher and editor, and later became a Buddhist monk with the name Hongyi.

His former residence, built in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), is a large house composed of four quadrangle dwellings. In the shape of the Chinese character "田 (tian)", the house has 60 rooms that occupy 1,400 square meters. There are verandas and small gardens within the courtyard, and its rooms are exquisitely decorated, creating an elegant and pleasant environment. There is also a Western-style study named Yiyuan, built when Li came back to Tianjin, his hometown, from Japan, which represents the aspiration to fulfill his grand dreams.

Former residence of Zhang Xueliang

Zhang Xueliang (June 3, 1901 - Oct 14, 2001) was a general of the National Revolutionary Army and a famous patriotic general in modern Chinese history. Zhang advocated fighting against the Japanese and opposed civil war at that time. Together with General Yang Hucheng, he detained the Kuomintang's top leader Chiang Kai-shek, which is known as the Xi'an Incident, and the incident soon brought about the second cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party of China and formed a national united front against Japan. One of the four most handsome men during the Republic of China period, Zhang was known as "Young Marshal". His love story with Edith Zhao was legendary.

The former residence of Zhang is a luxurious and beautiful building, located at No 78, Chifeng avenue, Heping district. Zhang lived here between 1925 and 1932 when he was the most active in military and political matters. During this period of Zhang's prime time, he was named the deputy commander-in-chief of the national armed forces. Amid the turbulent times, this residence was a home for Zhang. Today, this house contains more than 300 objects that illustrate the life of Zhang's family in what was then French concession in Tianjin.