Yan Xishan's Former Residence Introduction
Yan Xishan (1883-1960), styled Bochuan, experienced significant historical events in modern China, including the Tongmenghui's anti-Qing movement, the Xinhai Revolution, the Hongxian Empire, the founding of the Republic of China, the Central Plains War, the KMT-CPC cooperation, the Second Sino-Japanese War, and the Chinese Civil War, up until the KMT's relocation to Taiwan. He is one of the notable figures in modern Chinese history. He served as the head of the Executive Yuan and Minister of National Defense before the KMT's move to Taiwan, and after stepping down, he retreated to Yangmingshan with his subordinates. In his last ten years of seclusion in Yangmingshan, he devoted himself to research and completed works such as "World Harmony" and "China in Three Hundred Years," embodying the Confucian ideals of virtue, achievement, and expression. In his later years, reminiscing about his hometown and based on military defense needs, he chose to build his stone houses, "Zhongneng Cave" and "Red Brick House," on the Fengshan slope, overlooking the Tamsui River estuary and Taipei Basin. "Zhongneng Cave" is constructed in the style of Shanxi cave dwellings, integrating features of Chinese, Japanese, and Western architecture, differing significantly in construction period and scale from typical historic sites. It serves as the main building of Yan's residence and was personally named by him, reflecting his view of the universe through the observation of nature. This fortress-like residence became the final resting place of this significant modern historical figure. The "Red Brick House" was used as an air raid shelter, with walls three feet thick, reinforced steel plates on the doors and windows, and designs for camouflage and observation. Both "Red Brick House" and "Zhongneng Cave" were designated as city historic sites named "Yan Xishan's Former Residence" in 2004, and the nearby Yan Xishan Tomb was also designated as a historic site in 2010.
