Dayi Liu Xiang Mansion

Seen from the sky above Anren Town, the Liu Xiang Mansion forms the Chinese character "pin"—three perfectly aligned squares denoting rank and authority. From the ground level on Jixiang Street, the structure offers a far more imposing greeting. A sheer three-meter-high wall seals the 9,300-square-meter compound from the outside world, creating a perimeter designed for absolute security. Built in 1923 over a period of two years, the complex functions as the physical embodiment of a warlord’s psyche.

Liu Xiang was the paramount military and political leader of Sichuan province, a commander-in-chief who held ultimate authority before leading his army out of the province to fight in the 1937 resistance. His home institutionalizes his power through a distinct "front residence, back camp" layout. Visitors passing through the main gate immediately encounter a two-story Western-style office building. Here, surrounded by imported architectural symbols, Liu managed the affairs of millions, received foreign dignitaries, and negotiated alliances.

The architecture softens as visitors move deeper into the compound. The "Miss's Building," an ornate two-story wooden structure, housed his family. The craftsmanship here draws heavily on regional traditions. Small grey tiles cap the roofs, and the wooden doors and windows feature deeply carved auspicious motifs. The builders incorporated elegant spatial techniques from eastern China's Jiangnan gardens to create a sheltered domestic space, insulating the family from the volatility of warlord-era politics.

The underlying reality of the estate asserts itself in the rear courtyard. Domestic tranquility gives way to martial scale. The traditional siheyuan expands to an enormous 28 by 24 meters. Flanked by two-story suites, this vast open area served directly as a military drill ground. An entire heavily armed guard company lived and trained within the family walls. The commander-in-chief’s home was a fortified garrison, holding 120 rooms that shifted seamlessly from a family residence to a military command center.

Today, the soldiers are gone, and the massive parade ground sits quietly under the Sichuan sky. The mansion remains exactly as Liu Xiang built it: a self-contained fortress disguised as a traditional estate. It stands as the permanent architectural footprint of a man who spent his life consolidating power behind these three-meter walls, only to leave them behind entirely for a much larger war.