Kang Youwei Former Residence of Qingdao (Chinese: 青島康有為故居) is located in the southern district of Qingdao City (青島市), Shandong Province (山東省), China. Kang Youwei (康有為) purchased the residence in 1924 and lived here until his death in March 1927.
Kang Youwei (1858 – 1927) was a prominent political thinker and reformer in China of the late Qing dynasty. His ideas were influential in the abortive Hundred Days' Reform (百日維新).
Criticized by many people for supporting warlord Zhang Xun (張勛), Kang Youwei went to Qingdao in 1917 for the first time, aiming to find "peace of mind". Later in 1924, he bought this house and settled down in Qingdao.
The building is in German style as a whole, but also has a little influence of traditional Chinese architecture. The former residence has been converted into a memorial hall for the public to visit.
There are several exhibition halls in the memorial hall. In addition to introducing Kang Youwei's life, it also collects a lot of furniture and objects used by Kang Youwei.
Kang Youwei himself was a great poet and calligrapher of his time. In one of his poems, Kang Youwei said it was Qingdao's "heavenly land-and-seascape" that drew him to this coastal city.
Kang Youwei had traveled around the world during his lifetime and left behind many articles and poems written during his travels. The exhibition hall also displays some handicrafts purchased by Kang Youwei during his journey, which is very interesting.
In 1927, Kang Youwei fell ill after attending a banquet, and later died of illness in his bedroom. It is said that he was poisoned by his political enemy, but the real cause of death is still a mystery.
