Former Site of Wu Peifu Mansion

At No. 122–124 Nanjing Road in Wuhan stands a three-story villa known as Wu's Garden, which is the Wu Peifu Mansion. Built in the early 1920s by the renowned local builder Ma Huitang, this compound served as the military headquarters of the warlord Wu Peifu, who moved in with his wife in October 1925 while serving as Commander-in-Chief of the 14-Province Allied Army. Wu's stay was brief. By September 1926, the Northern Expedition forces had seized Wuhan, forcing him to flee. The building later passed through various hands—from a missionary to the Catholic Church, and eventually to the People's Liberation Army, which used it as housing for military families in 1949.

Ma Huitang's design reflects a fusion of Eastern and Western architectural traditions. The exterior presents a European classical facade, anchored by a granite foundation and lined with symmetrical Roman columns. On the flat roof terrace, two symmetrical octagonal Chinese pavilions with upturned eaves stand prominently against the skyline. Inside, the layout shifts to traditional Chinese courtyards and open skylights, warmed by fourteen fireplaces. An adjacent two-story wing originally served as the servants' quarters.

Today, the 1,661-square-meter estate operates as a boutique homestay. The rooms are decorated in a Republican-era style, evoking the literary and cultural atmosphere of early twentieth-century Wuhan. In the front courtyard, a traditional fish pond reflects the surrounding buildings, while the scent of osmanthus blossoms drifts through the air in autumn. Designated as a Wuhan Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit in 2014, Wu's Garden remains one of the city's best-preserved examples of Republican-era residential architecture—a physical reminder of the turbulent period when warlords, revolutionaries, and ordinary citizens all passed through its gates.