[2025 Wuxi Attraction] Travel Guide for A Bing's Former Residence (Updated May)

Get up early and rush to Huishan Ancient Town. Huishan Ancient Town is suitable for slow strolling and leisurely appreciation. The history of the ancient town can be traced back to the Northern and Southern Dynasties, and it was the fief of Huang Xie, the son of Chu in the Warring States Period. Different from other Jiangnan towns, it not only has the gentleness of Jiangnan water towns, but also accumulates the aesthetics of Chinese classical gardens, and even adds some mystery. No wonder Kangxi and Qianlong loved it here, they visited Jiangnan six times, Huishan seven times, and Qinyuan eight times. We also experienced clay sculpture in the ancient town, and we won't show it if it's too ugly. 😢 Leaving Huishan Ancient Town, we went to Ah Bing's former residence. The white walls and black tiles, the mottled and dilapidated wooden door half open, the small square table next to it with different benches, the low cabinet stacked with several old boxes full of dust, a small bed only one person long and one person wide, with a gray gauze curtain similar to a mosquito net hanging on it, the shaky lampshade, the shaky wall skin, it's hard to imagine this is the house where a master lived. Stepping out of Ah Bing's world, the nearby Bell Tower Library is also a landmark of Wuxi city. Sitting by the window, flipping through a favorite book, the view outside the window is unique to this season. By the way, there is also a chocolate museum nearby, where you can check in and take photos. 😏 After lunch, we went to the film and television base in Wuxi, strolled around, and rushed to watch birds at Turtle Head Isle. Thinking of having a romantic shot with the cute red-billed gulls and the orange sunset, it's simply too photogenic, but unfortunately we didn't catch the sunset. 😧 If you come to Turtle Head Isle, you must check the weather in advance. The best viewing period is from mid-November to February of the following year, which is also a winter romance exclusive to Wuxi.

A Bing's Former Residence: Located at No. 30, Library Road, Liangxi District, Wuxi City, near the Bell Tower. This place was originally the Leizun Temple, and A Bing's father was the abbot of the temple. A Bing was born here in 1893, and lived, studied Taoist music and various folk instruments, and composed music here. As an adult, A Bing lived in a tile-roofed house next to the Leizun Temple until his death. After the age of 30, A Bing's father passed away, and he became the abbot of the Leizun Temple. During this period, he created many famous songs, such as "The Moon Reflected in Erquan," "The Waves Scour the Sands," "Wang Zhaojun Departs the Frontier," and "The Cold Spring Breeze." The former residence now preserves the Leizun Temple and the auxiliary house (A Bing's living room), and is a national key cultural relic protection unit.

Chong'an Temple is located in the center of Wuxi Ancient City. There is a Chinese and Western building in the square, which is the Wuxi County Library built in the early Republic of China. In front of the library, there is a statue of the blind Abing, which shows the scene of playing the erhu affectionately. Abing's former residence is on the right, with a white wall outside. Entering the gate, there is a memorial archway, a pavilion, and a row of simple bungalows, which is Abing's former residence. Abing's former residence is actually a Taoist temple, named Dongxu Palace. Abing's father was called Hua Qinghe, who was the head Taoist priest of the Leizun Hall, and lived with a widow named Qin, and gave birth to Abing. As the head Taoist priest, Hua Qinghe often had to do rituals for others. He was proficient in Taoist music and was good at playing various folk instruments. He was known as the "Iron Hand Pipa". Abing was raised by his cousin when he was a child. When he was 8 years old, his father brought him back to the city and became a little Taoist priest in the temple. He was named Hua Yanjun and taught Taoist music skills as a livelihood in the future. Abing was very talented. He often followed his father to participate in vegetarian activities. He soon became a well-known "Little Celestial Master" in the city. After the founding of the Republic of China, the Sanqing Hall of Dongxu Palace was demolished and rebuilt into a library. Although the Leizun Hall was retained, the incense was becoming less and less, and Hua Qinghe died of depression. Abing inherited the mantle and became the host of Leizun Hall, but because of his extravagance and enjoyment, he finally had to sell the temple property for a living. Around 1925, Abing became blind due to illness and had to go to the streets to perform for a living. Perhaps it was such an experience that made Abing later. In his street performance career, his skills became more and more proficient and free, and he created artistic works with his own style. Fortunately, these works were recorded and became eternal classics. In the summer of 1950, Yang Yinliu and Mr. Cao Anhe, who worked at the Central Conservatory of Music, brought a tape recorder to Wuxi. Yang Yinliu had learned musical instruments from Abing when he was a teenager, and he knew his abilities early. In this way, three erhu songs and three pipa songs including "Erquan Yingyue" were preserved. Soon, Abing fell ill. In the early 1950s, Abing's neighbors found a good citizen certificate from the enemy and pseudo-period in the wall of Abing's room, with his photos on it, which was the only true image he left to the world. Erquan refers to the second spring in Huishan Temple, which is the most famous historical site in Wuxi. When Abing composed and performed these songs, they were all from the heart, and he did not name them. The name of Erquan Yingyue was thought of by Yang Yinliu and others. There are many negative rumors about the life of the blind Abing, but these cannot conceal his talent as an artist. The six masterpieces represented by "Erquan Yingyue" are the treasures of Chinese national music, regarded as classics, and have become a masterpiece.

A Bing's Former Residence, originally the Leizun Hall Daoist Temple, is located at No. 30, Library Road, Liangxi District, Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province. A Bing was born and died here. It is an ancient architectural site from the Qing Dynasty. The existing A Bing's Former Residence basically maintains its original state. The residence features exhibitions of A Bing's life and musical achievements, divided into five sections: the Life Hall, the Folk Music Hall, the Living Room, the Music Appreciation Hall, and the Cultural and Creative Hall. The plaza on the west side of the residence is named the Erquan Music Plaza, with a bronze statue of A Bing sculpted by sculptor Qian Shaowu in the center and a relief of the musical score of "Erquan Yingyue" on one side. A Bing's Former Residence bears witness to A Bing's life and has become an important carrier for studying and commemorating A Bing's artistic achievements, possessing high historical and cultural value. On May 25, 2006, A Bing's Former Residence was listed as the sixth batch of national key cultural relics protection units. A Bing (1893~1950), a native of Wuxi, followed his father Hua Qinghe to become a Daoist priest at the Leizun Hall in the Dongxu Palace of Wuxi Daoist Temple from a young age, with the religious name Hua Yanjun. Due to blindness in middle age, he was known as Blind A Bing. He was a modern Chinese folk musician who loved national instrumental music throughout his life and was proficient in Jiangnan sizhu. He had deep attainments in both performance techniques and musical composition, creating many pieces. However, due to late rescue efforts, only six pieces were recorded: the erhu solos "Erquan Yingyue," "Tingsong," and "Hanchun Fengqu," and the pipa solos "Longchuan," "Zhaojun Chusai," and "Dalang Taosha." Among them, "Erquan Yingyue" is the most influential and has become a world-famous piece. A Bing's Former Residence

Abing, one of the most important cultural symbols of Wuxi, a master of national music. On August 17, 1893, in the late Qing Dynasty when the storm was like a dark night, Abing (Hua Yanjun) was born in a He Shanfang next to Lei Zun Temple in Wuxi. In 1901, when Abing was 8 years old, his father Hua Qinghe brought him back from his ancestral home in Dongting Town to the city, and he became a little Taoist priest in Guancheng, and his name was Hua Yanjun. 'Erquan Yingyue' is the crystallization of Abing's life's hard work, it is the culmination of Taoist music, folk music and Abing's personal creation, it is one of the top classic pieces of national music...