Former residence of Han Guojun. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Hai'an, a county-level city in Nantong, regards the former residence of Han Guojun (1857-1942) as a window into its history and culture.

Established in 1906, the 8,500-square-meter residence includes four courtyards and one garden.

Built in a traditional Chinese style, the four courtyards are connected via corridors and their eaves are decorated with 35 exquisite brick carving works. The train carriage-style drawing room in the backyard garden is built in a western style and paved with colored glaze tiles.

Former residence of Han Guojun. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

In 2021, the former residence was designated a 4A-level scenic spot in China and became part of the Hai'an Museum, whose number of annual visitors increased from 80,000 to 300,000 as a result.

Born in Hai'an, Han worked as governor of both Anhui and Jiangsu provinces in the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and contributed to the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45).

Han was also a supporter of the idea that education is as important as industry in saving the country. In 1919, he funded the Hai'an Private Zishi Junior High School, the precursor of the Hai'an Senior School of Jiangsu Province.