Tian'en Diju (Imperial Grace Land Bureau)

Tian'en Diju was first constructed in 1903. It is an exquisite architectural complex located in the central old town of Taonan, on the northern side of West Xinglong Street. Covering an area of approximately 6,670 square metres, the compound forms a striking aesthetic contrast with the towering and majestic Marshal Wu Mansion with its elegant and gentle architectural style. Together they stand as a brilliant pearl along Taonan’s Ancient Architecture Street.

Boasting a simple yet solemn design, rigorous structural layout and ingenious spatial arrangement, Tian'en Diju faces south. It directly overlooks bustling Xinglong Street, which was then crowded with merchants and travellers. The compound has stood for a century, witnessing five generations of vicissitudes. In the early summer of the 29th year of the Guangxu reign of the late Qing Dynasty (1903), the Mongolian Wasteland Administration was relocated here. Taonan was officially established as an administrative region in the autumn of the same year and upgraded to a prefecture three years later. The Mongolian Wasteland Administration was the predecessor of Taonan Prefecture. Utai, the 12th king of the Jasaktu Banner, took a fancy to this prime location and launched large-scale construction to build a princely government mansion. He recruited master craftsmen from the Mukden Palace in Shenyang and spared no expense to replicate the layout of princely mansions on East and West Chang’an Avenue in Beijing. The princely palace was erected in Shuangliu Town, present-day Taonan.

In 1905, the 31st year of the Guangxu reign, Emperor Guangxu presented a golden horizontal plaque to encourage land reclamation. Measuring nine chi long and three chi wide, it bears four bold Ouyang-style characters engraved in intaglio gold: Tian'en Diju, which gave the site its official historical name.

This traditional Chinese architectural complex originally stretched 100 metres from north to south and 67 metres from east to west. The main entrance features a golden lion screen wall crowned with a grand decorative carving of two golden lions locking horns. Two rampways in an eight-shaped pattern converge at the central gate, above which hangs the golden plaque inscribed with Tian'en Diju. Behind the gate, a huge painted folding screen titled Thousands of Mountains in the Xing’an Range shields the imposing main hall.

The core of the courtyard is a delicately designed siheyuan (quadrangle). On all four sides stand five-bay blue-brick houses with gable roofs. The roofs are laid with small grey tiles arranged in the wild-goose ridge style. Six large red lacquered wooden pillars stand in symmetrical rows in front of each corridor, creating a solemn atmosphere. A cross-shaped brick path runs through the centre of the sunken courtyard, flanked by rare flowers, verdant cypresses and ancient pines.

During the Liberation War, Comrade Zhu Lizhi worked here, serving as Secretary of the CPC Taonan Prefectural Party Committee and Secretary-General of the Ximan Sub-bureau of the CPC Central Committee. In January 1946, senior leaders including Tao Zhu, Secretary of the Liao-Ji Provincial Party Committee, Li Fuchun and Deng Hua held office and meetings on this site. In the early days after liberation, the Central County Party Committee for the Southern Eight Counties of Heilongjiang Province was also stationed here. Before the Cultural Revolution, eight county-level bureaus covering agriculture, forestry and water conservancy occupied the compound. It later housed the Science and Technology Museum. In 2008, a history museum was opened here and has since welcomed tourists and visitors.