The Five-Room Hall

Among the many building in Huaqing Pool Garden, there is a hall of brick and lumber structure named the Five-Room Hall. It gets its name for its comprising of five single rooms. With Mountain Lishan to its south and the Lotus Pool to its north, this garden has wide and level court yard planted with luxuriant green trees.

The Hall is a main magnificent building in the Guhuan Garden. Every red column of the front porch is so big that one can get his arms around. The Hall with the surrounding Three-Roomed Hall, the Wanghe Pavilion, the Flying Rainbow Bridge and the Flying Rosy Cloud Pavilion completes a harmonic picture.

The Hall was built during late Qing Dynasty. In 1900 empress dowager Cixi flied Beijing and stayed here when The Eight-Power Allied Forced seized the capital city. In 1934, it was renovated and became a resort place for high officials.

In October and December of 1936, Chiang Kaishek went to Shanngxi and stayed in the Five-Room Hall where he held high-ranking military meetings. Doggedly persisted in carrying the reactionary policy “domestic tranquility is a must for the resistance against the Japanese invaders”, he commanded the Northeast and Northwest Armies, headed by Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng, attack the Red Army. In order to urge Chiang to fight against the Japanese invaders and save the country from crisis, the two generals put forward to Chiang the proposal of forming a united front with the Communist Party for the resistance drive, which, however, was rejected by Chiang. Thereupon, Zhang and Yang started the famous Xi'an Incident. On December 12, They ordered a squad of bodyguards, to surround the Huaqing Pool. They fought a fierce battle there. Heard the sound of firing in the bedroom, Chiang crept out of a window in his nightgown and slippers. What is more, he hurt his back and lost one of his slippers while crossing over the back wall. He staggered up Mountain Lishan under the support his guards, and hid himself behind a stone in a crevice. Later the brave soldiers began to search the mountain and found him. They escorted him to Xi'an. From west to east, the five rooms are secretary's office, Chiang's bedroom, Chiang's office, the meeting room, and the office of Qian Dajun, head of his guards. The shot holes, which witnessed the fierce fight, can still be found in the panes and walls of the Hall. The copied furniture and other utensils in every room remain where the original ones were.

The Three-Room hall next to the Five-Room Hall was built in 1900 and once the dwelling place for high officials and rich persons. In October and December of 1936, some of Chiang's guards and secretary lived in this hall. In the morning of December 12, Chiang's guards rushed out and fought back under the cover of the architectures in the yard. Also the shot holes can still be found in the walls and panes.

The Three-Roomed Hall has changed into an exhibition hall with a lot of cherished documents introducing Chiang's activities in Huaqing Pool.

Publishes at : 07-08-21 00:28

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