🌸 Baihua Zhou Historic Cultural District — Former Residence of Lu Dahuang

"One lamp of green light illuminates old manuscripts; a lifetime of effort devoted to compiling Pu's works."
— In memory of Lu Dahuang, master scholar of Shandong literature and foundational figure in the textual criticism of Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio

📍 Basic Information

• Address: Northeast corner of Baihua Zhou Historic Cultural District, Lixia District, Jinan City, Shandong Province (east side of the intersection between Qushuiting Street and Qifengqiao Street)
• Opening Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 9:00–17:00 (closed on Mondays, except public holidays)
• Admission: Free entry with prior reservation (reservations available via the WeChat official account “Jinan Culture & Tourism”)
• Protection Level: Protected Unit of Jinan City (designated in 2013) | Core cultural heritage site within the Baihua Zhou Historic Cultural District

🏯 Historical Evolution: A Scholar and His Courtyard Through the Ages

Lu Dahuang (1895–1976), originally named Lu Hongzao, was a native of Zhangqiu County, Jinan. A renowned literary scholar and leading authority on Pu Xue (the study of Pu Songling), he served as the first director of Shandong Provincial Institute of History and Literature. Throughout his life, he dedicated himself to rescuing, organizing, and researching Pu Songling’s original manuscripts and writings. During the turbulent 1930s and 1940s, he tirelessly collected scattered fragments of Pu’s works across regions. In 1936, he led the publication of the first authoritative lithographed edition of Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, laying the foundation for modern scholarship on Pu Songling.

The former residence originally dates back to the late Qing Dynasty, constructed at the end of the Qianlong reign. It exemplifies the typical "small siheyuan" layout common in Jinan. Lu Dahuang resided here from the early 1950s until his death in 1976. The study within the courtyard, named Puyuan Yí, served as his primary workspace for editing Pu’s manuscripts and compiling the Collected Works of Pu Songling. In 2009, Jinan launched an organic renewal project for the Baihua Zhou area. The residence was carefully restored following the principles of "restoration in kind, minimal intervention," and officially opened as a thematic memorial hall in 2014.

🏮 Architectural Features: A Serene Microcosm of Spring City Dwelling

Spanning approximately 260 square meters, the residence is a single-aisle siheyuan facing south, with a well-ordered layout reflecting the traditional architectural characteristics of Jinan’s old city: blue bricks and gray tiles, plain wooden lattice windows, stone foundations with earthen walls, and winding pathways leading into quiet corners.

• Gatehouse: Gabled brick-and-wood structure, with a carved stone plaque inscribed “Farming and Learning Passed Down Through Generations” from the Guangxu era (original artifact). Doorstep stones feature lotus petal carvings—simple yet dignified.
• Main Hall (Northern Building): Five-bay gabled roof structure. The central bay features full-height folding doors; the side bays were used by Lu Dahuang for daily living and receiving guests. Original furnishings include a late-Ming-style elm wardrobe and a rosewood armchair, preserved in their historical configuration.
• West Wing: Home to the Puyuan Yí study, faithfully reconstructed to reflect Lu Dahuang’s scholarly environment—featuring a zitan wood desk, bronze oil lamp, high-fidelity replica of handwritten annotations on Strange Tales, and the 1936 first edition of Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio.
• Courtyard: Paved with blue bricks, planted with winter jasmine and bamboo. In the southeast corner, a well from the Qing Dynasty remains preserved (now sealed), its stone rim inscribed with “Rebuilt in the 23rd Year of Daoguang.”

✅ All restoration work strictly adhered to the China Conservation Standards for Historic Monuments. Bricks, tiles, beams, rafters, and windows were recreated using traditional craftsmanship and locally sourced materials. The courtyard’s drainage system retains the historic “four waters converge under one roof” design.

📜 Key Cultural Relics and Exhibition Highlights

The permanent exhibition, “The Flame of Pu’s Compilation: Lu Dahuang and the Preservation of Strange Tales Manuscripts,” systematically presents his academic legacy and contributions to cultural heritage:

• Crown Jewel Exhibits:

  • 📜 Handwritten manuscript of Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio edited by Lu Dahuang (1950s; national-level replica; original housed at Shandong Provincial Library)
  • 📚 First edition of Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio published by Shanghai Cultural Life Press in 1936 (fewer than ten copies survive nationwide; this exhibit features a 1936 reissue)
  • 🪶 Copy of the Pu Clan Genealogy gifted by descendants of Pu Songling (compiled in the 19th year of Guangxu reign, including a hand-drawn portrait and eulogy of Pu Songling)

• Special Exhibition Features:

  • Digital Interactive Screen: “Tracing the Manuscript Fragments” – A dynamic timeline reconstructing Lu Dahuang’s decade-long journey across Zichuan, Jinan, and Beijing to recover scattered manuscripts
  • “Ink Still Warm” Calligraphy Experience Zone – Offers replicas of Pu Songling’s writing paper and brushes for visitors to practice copying classic passages from Strange Tales
  • Stone Wall Inscription: A mounted rubbing of the Epitaph for Pu Songling’s Tomb (based on a 1962 field rubbings), authored by Lu Dahuang and inscribed by calligrapher Jiang Weisong

🌟 Cultural Significance: A Small Courtyard Bearing Dual Heritage

• Academic Historical Value: The residence stands as a tangible testament to China’s 20th-century effort to rescue classical literary texts. It embodies Lu Dahuang’s scholarly mission—“to carry forward a thousand-year literary tradition through the efforts of one individual.”
• Regional Cultural Value: As a model of the “one street, one theme; one courtyard, one person” revitalization approach within the Baihua Zhou district, it forms part of a broader humanistic landscape alongside nearby Qushuiting Street, Wangfu Pool, and Qiuliu Garden—collectively representing Jinan’s triad of “springs, scholars, and literature.”
• Intangible Cultural Heritage Value: Regularly hosts events such as the “Pu Xue Lecture Series,” “Ancient Book Restoration Workshops,” and “Liaozhai Shadow Puppet Performances,” promoting the living transmission of ancient book conservation techniques and local opera traditions.

🧭 Visitor Tips

• Best Time to Visit: Early morning during spring or autumn (9:00–11:00), when the site is quiet and peaceful—ideal for listening to wind chimes and the gentle flow of water along Qushuiting Street.
• Recommended Nearby Attractions:
  • 2-minute walk → Qushuiting Street (experience the poetic vision of “every household with springs, every home with willow trees”)
  • 5-minute walk → Qiuliu Garden (site of Wang Shizhen’s “Autumn Willow Poetry Society”)
  • 8-minute walk → Shandong Provincial Library’s Rare Ancient Books Reading Room (reservation required to view original manuscripts donated by Lu Dahuang)
• Visitor Guidelines:
  • Flash photography and tripods are prohibited inside the museum;
  • Please keep voices low in the study area to preserve the solemn atmosphere of this scholarly space;
  • The first Saturday of each month is designated as Lu Dahuang Memorial Day, featuring guided tours by invited scholars and commemorative gift sets of Strange Tales notebook paper.

🌊 The waters of Baihua Zhou flow gently, the ink of Pu’s compilation still warm.
This modest courtyard of blue bricks not only holds a scholar’s desk and lamp—but also embodies the enduring spirit of steadfast dedication and innovative preservation embedded in the cultural DNA of Qilu.