Mr. Xiong Xiling (1870-1937) was born in Fenghuang County on July 23,1870.  He was one of the famous figures in China.  Even in his childhood, he was priased as  " Prodigy of Hunan ". At the age of 25, Mr. Xiong Xiling successfully passed the final level of the central government's court examination in the Qing Dynasty's imperial examination system, and he earned as"Jinshi".

In 1913, he was elected as the first elected Prime Minister of the Republic of China. He was forced to resign shortly after he opposed Yuan Shikai's restoration of the imperial system. 
 

Mr. Xiong devoted himself to charity and education in his later years. In 1920, he founded the famous Xiangshan Charity Children Academy(today's Lixing School) in Beijing. On December 25, 1937, He was ill and died in Hong Kong. At that time, the Republic of China national government held a state funeral ceremony for him.

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Xiong Xiling's three wives
Xiong Xiling married three wives in his life, Ms. Liao, Ms. Zhu Qihui, and Ms.Mao Yanwen. These three women had a profound impact on his life.

Ms. Liao, born from Zhenyuan County in Guizhou Province, was the first wife of Mr. Xiong Xiling. After marriage in 1894, they were very loving. But she got lung disease soon and died of invalidation in 1895.

Ms. Zhu Qihui (1876～1931), the second wife of Mr. Xiong Xiling, was a a talented woman and a descendant of the royal family of the Ming Dynasty who was born from Baoshan County in Jiangsu Province ( today's Pudong District of Shanghai City). In 1895, asked by her brother Mr. Zhu Qiyi, former governor of Yuanzhou Prefecture in west Hunan,  Ms. Zhu Qihui came to study at Yuanzhou Academy. And Mr Xiong Xiling was her classmate. Then she fell in love with Mr. Xiong Xiling and got marriage  with him soon. She was a woman social activist and civilian educator. In 1920, she helped Mr. Xiong Xiling set up the Xiangshan Charity Children Academy in Beijing so as to recruit children from poor families to school.They had three children . On August 25, 1931, Ms Zhu Qihui, praises as the "mother of Chinese civilian education" , died of sudden cerebral hemorrhage.The photo shows Mr. Xiong and his second wife Ms.Zhu, their first daughter Ms. Zhu Zhi.

Ms.Mao Yanwen (1898-1999), was born in Jiangshan County of Zhejiang Province. In 1919, Mao Yanwen was admitted to study at the  Foreign Language Department of Beijing Women's Higher Normal University. After transferred to Nanjing Jinling Women's University, she met Xiong Zhi, Xiong Xiling's daughter, and studied in the same class with her. They had close relations with each other. Mao Yanwen was good at socializing, frequently engages in social activities, and served as interim chairman of the Zhejiang Branch of the Chinese Women's Rights Federation at that time.And then she was admitted to study at Education Department of Michigan University. After came back China, encouraged and matched by Xiong Zhi, Mao Yanwen married Xiong Xiling in Shanghai on February 9, 1935, when Xiong Xi was 66 years old and she was 39 years old. After marriage, they were extremely loving. Mao Yanwen inherited Xiong Xiling's career and assisted him in hosting the Xiangshan Charity Children Academy in Beijing.And she became the president of the Chinese Women's Red Cross. After Xiong Xiling's death in 1937, Mao Yanwen remained unmarried. She went Taiwan in 1949. On October 3, 1999, Mao Yanwen died of illness at the age of 102.

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Xiong Xiling's Former Residence

The Former Residence of Xiongxiling is located in the beautiful Fenghuang Ancient City. As a typical ancient building of the Miao nationality, It has been listed as one of the nine major attractions in Fenghuang Ancient City.
The courtyard, which doesn't look like a tall building, has a quiet and tranquil environment. The building is ancient and rustic, with a patio in the center, and three two-story wooden structures in the main room. It houses the living and work supplies used by Mr. Xiong Xiling during his lifetime. On the left, it is a conference room about ten square meters. On the right, it is a firewood room, where stone furniture, stone urns and other edible furniture are placed...More
Address:  No. 8 Wenxing Street, Fenghuang County, Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Western Hunan Province
Phone: 0743-3502059,0743-3223315
Opening hours:  08: 00-17: 30
Entrance Fees: CNY 148( included the entrance ticket of the Fenghuang Ancient Town)

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