The secrets of Xiguan are all on this street in Guangzhou

Say goodbye to the bustling CBD

Go to the other side of Guangzhou

Look for peace and quiet in the old streets that are ignored due to busy life

Comfortable moments

In winter, Slowly take a look at this old street

The cross-cutting past and ancient buildings

See the most elegant life style in Xiguan

A short treasure source I walked this road several times and fell in love with it more and more

You must be familiar with Baoyuan Road. It has a place in the \”Three Treasures of Xiguan\” mentioned by Lao Guang.

It is only 500 meters long, but it is the most preserved traditional building among the \”Three Treasures\”. There are more than 10 buildings listed by the government, making it one of the streets with the most dense distribution of historical buildings in Guangzhou.

Most of these historical buildings were built at the end of the 19th century and are more than 10 years old.0 years old, it was once a uniform residence. This is how it got its name as \”the master of old folk houses in Guangzhou\”.

There are both magnificent Xiguan mansions, townhouses with bamboo tubes, and Western-style buildings that combine Chinese and Western styles. Roman columns, wrought iron decorations, classical mountain flowers, etc. are combined with Xiguan\’s traditional three-piece door set and Manchurian stained glass windows. The famous \”Western learning spread to the East\” in history is a vivid example here.

Now these old buildings are protected, with more than 20 cultural relic protection plaques preserved in just 500 meters.

In Guangzhou, there are few old streets like Baoyuan Road. When people walk from the street to the end of the street, they can see a historical relic every three or two steps.

Walking on Baoyuan Road, you can feel the strong cultural atmosphere of Guangfu. Every house is like an old man telling its own story.

And every building here is indeed of great origin.

No. 9 Baoyuan Road is the residence of Chen Zeqiu, the \”King of Flower Shapes\” during the Thirteenth Line period.

This is a low-key wealthy businessman. Compared with his neighbors, his old house has no other special features except a larger recessed land.

In his early years, Chen Zeqiu followed his uncle to Vietnam to do business. Later, he started a family from scratch and ran \”flower yarn\” (cotton yarn). He opened many shops in Guangzhou and was known as the \”flower yarn king\”.

He is a good philanthropist. In addition to donating to many charitable organizations, he also does not forget the construction of his hometown and donates charity money, most of which are anonymous.

The layout of the mansion also incorporates the owner’s ideas.

There were many people in Xiguan at that timeThe land is narrow, and everyone will build a house to cover the entire land. When Chen Zeqiu designed his house, he went in the opposite direction and left an open space at the door of his home.

This one-and-a-half meter space is a reflection of the low-key wealthy businessman’s love for society:

In rainy weather, passers-by can also take shelter under the eaves.

It is also the blessing of kind elders to their children and grandchildren:

You don’t have to face the wind and rain when you go out, home is always a safe haven.

He also taught them sincerely:

As a human being, you must retreat in order to advance. Only if you are strong enough can you leave your own place in this precious place.

Chen Zeqiu is low-key and his residence is \”inconspicuous\”. The only time he made a high profile was when he married his daughter.

When Miss Chen got married in 1937, the bride\’s phoenix crown was made of 6 pounds of pure gold, and small light bulbs were installed on the phoenix crown to create a shining effect. The bride\’s dowry was a complete set of rosewood furniture, and even the banquet was held for six days and six nights.

To this day, this is definitely a sensation in the city and a trending topic in an instant.

No. 141, Baoyuan Road, is one of the few western-style buildings on Baoyuan Road. It has a unique architectural style that combines Chinese and Western styles.

The main entrance has a granite door cover, and the lintel is engraved with \”Mingqin Di\”. Generally speaking, \”Di\” is used as the name of a house, which is related to being an official in the court. It seems that the owner of this house was a A court official.

There are couplets engraved on the left and right sides of the door, \”Guangzhou Yangcheng proudly leads China, and Liwan Xiguan spreads its coquettish charm to fascinate my soul.\” It is enough to show that the owner of the house affirms the style of Guangzhou Xiguan.

The door is protectedKeep the Xiguan traditional three-piece set of Tanglongmen.

Looking up, you will find that the second floor has an exotic Baroque style.

The row of windows is composed of four Ionic columns and arches. The eaves and railings are decorated with curly grass and flower decorative patterns, and the middle part of the parapet on the top floor is fully decorated with mountain flowers.

It is said that the more beautiful the mountain flowers on the house, the richer the owner will be.

It seems that Baoyuan Road is an old street full of talented people.

Baoyuan Road is not an unchanging historical street, and it can also come up with new ideas in just 500 meters.

Did you see such a western-style building when you were walking in the City?

The white walls and black door have a big number 101 written on them, which looks particularly elegant under the cover of leaves.

This old house built in the Republic of China in 1910 is a representative work of the transformation of the old street.

The earliest owner was a wealthy overseas Chinese businessman who came back from abroad and built No. 101, a combination of Chinese and Western styles.

As time passes, the mansion changes its owner several times. The most famous among them is the Chen Ailun family of famous doctors in Xiguan. Here is a story about them and Zhou Enlai and his wife.

Chen Ailun’s aunt Wang Dexin was the postpartum attending physician of Zhou Enlai’s wife Deng Yingchao.

At that time, she did not know Deng Yingchao\’s true identity, but with her good nature as a doctor, she helped the frail Deng Yingchao arrange a residence to avoid being searched. During Deng Yingchao\’s later transfer to Shanghai, necessary medicines were prepared for her and a trusted nurse was arranged to accompany her on board the ship to help Deng Yingchao arrive safely.

The \”birth care hospital\” where Dr. Wang cared for Deng Yingchao was later converted into a pediatric hospital and was taken over by Dr. Wang\’s aunt Chen Ailun.

While Chen Ailun was running the business, he lived in the mansion at No. 101 Baoyuan Road. To this day, the mansion still retains some old things that Chen Ailun lived here.

In 2017, Mr. Li Junfeng and his team, who cherish historical buildings, took over No. 101.

They did not choose to renovate, but with nostalgia for history, they chose to restore the old as before.

So the long restoration project began.

Because No. 101 is a historical building, any construction needs to be submitted for approval. After three years, the government’s approval documents alone totaled hundreds of pages.

At the same time, because the old house has been abandoned for many years, there are too many restrictions on restoration. The designer team alone has found nearly ten projects.

After three years of cold and heat, Li Junfeng and his team worked together at the construction site to overcome difficulties one after another and finally restored No. 101.

Now when you walk into No. 101, you can still see retro floor tiles and old stairs.

There are also various wonderful ideas for using old things.

The balcony pillars were used as lamp posts, the flowerpots and hourglasses were used as lamp bases, and the door panels were used as coffee tables…

Old things have taken on new identities, and they still exude elegance today, a hundred years later.

Now No. 101 has transformed into a complex cultural space integrating catering, tea and exhibition activities.

Die has become more than just old The buildings have been renovated, and many coffee shops, bakeries, and B&Bs have settled on Baoyuan Road. These new-era vitalities bear the imprint of the old era, giving the old street a different charm.

Lili Trading Company is one of them.

From the outside, it looks like a Nanyang shop from the Republic of China period. In fact, it is a coffee shop, and the style of the facade was deliberately designed by the owner.

Into In the store, you can see chairs of different styles, such as the exquisite and elegant Republic of China lady chairs and the textured barber chairs.

Time has given them a mottled charm, which matches the popular coffee. Extraordinarily harmonious.

（ The lady’s chair from the Republic of China is on the left, and the barber’s chair is on the right)

Here, the tiles are old, but the iron floor spliced ​​with them is new; the lady’s chair and the barber’s chair from the Republic of China are old, but each The people and experiences they come into contact with are all new.

The fusion of old and new is an example of the success of the transformation of Laojie.Son, there are many more on Baoyuan Road…

（ The store retains the old roof of the Xiguan bamboo tube house and the window frame of the Manchurian window)

Why do you like visiting old streets?

Looking back at Baoyuan Road, it is only 500 meters long, but there are many stories behind it.

These stories are hidden in the long river of time. They are interesting, sincere and full of the life sentiment of that era. Touch them, and new trends and old stories collide.

So Baoyuan Road has both historical context and modern trends.

If you have time, come and take a look!

Source: Published by Guangzhou Liwan Guangzhou Daily · New Flower City Editor: Ma Junxian