Chen Ge Lao House, Haining – Ticket, Opening Hours, Location, and Highlights

Chen Ge Lao House (陈阁老宅), located in Haining City, Zhejiang Province, China, stands proudly across the river from the former residence of Yang Yongjian. The name “Chen Ge Lao House” originates from the fact that during the reign of Emperor Yongzheng in the Qing Dynasty, Chen Yuanlong held the position of Prime Minister. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Prime Ministers were also known as “Ge Lao,” a term used to address esteemed statesmen. Thus, the ancestral home of Chen’s family came to be known as Chen Ge Lao House. Covering an area of 4719.26 square meters, this historical site includes various structures such as ancestral halls, sleeping quarters, pavilions, and courtyards, many of which date back to the Qing Dynasty.

At the entrance of the old house stands the sedan hall, facing north towards the river. Once inside the gate, all buildings are oriented towards the south. The first structure along the eastern path is the ancestral hall where the Chen family worships their ancestors. Adjacent to it lies a three-room building, which served as the sleeping quarters for Chen’s servants. In front of the sleeping quarters, there used to be a tall wall acting as a screen, now in ruins, revealing a small hall of three rooms. After the demise of Anlan Garden, a plaque from the garden was relocated here, hence its name “Junxiang Pavilion.” In front of the hall, several artificial hills and rare trees are arranged alongside a flowing stream. To the south, a winding bridge leads to the “Shuangqing Cottage,” a small garden with a tranquil ambiance adorned with various rocks and plants.

Within Chen Ge Lao House lies a structure known as the “Sleeping Quarters,” where visitors can admire the stone inscriptions of the “Yanhai Yuzhen” (Treasures from the Sea of Calligraphy). Although only a small portion of the original stone inscriptions from the “Er Tang Fa Tie” (The Stone Tablets of the Second Hall) remains, it is enough to describe them as incredibly rich. The “Bohai Cangzhen” and “Chen Shi Yuyantang” are renowned stone inscriptions collected and carved by Chen Yuanlong’s great-grandfather, Chen Guang. These inscriptions feature the calligraphy of over a hundred prominent calligraphers spanning from the Han and Wei Dynasties to the Ming Dynasty, including masters like Zhong Yao, Lady Wei, Wang Xizhi, Wang Xianzhi, Ouyang Xun, Chu Suiliang, Liu Gongquan, Yan Zhenqing, Sima Guang, Wen Tianxiang, Mi Fu, Su Shi, Zhao Mengzhaoye, Dong Qichang, and many others. The inscriptions cover nearly thirty volumes of calligraphy from various periods. During the Taiping Rebellion, amidst the chaos of war, many inscriptions were lost, some even taken away to build city walls. Subsequently, descendants of the Chen family collected and organized the remaining inscriptions, combining them into a single frame named “Yanhai Yuzhen,” which was then relocated to Chen Ge Lao House. By 1973, efforts by cultural preservation authorities managed to gather over two hundred remaining pieces of the stone inscriptions from the Second Hall.

Basic Information

Location and Transportation

Chen Ge Lao House is situated within the Yanguan Tourist Resort on Xuande Road in Haining City, Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province, China. To get there, you can take bus Haining 106, Haining 109, Haining 216, Haining 307, Haining 309, Haining 317A, or Haining 317B, and get off at Yanguan Tourist Resort Stop (盐官景区公交站).