A small courtyard with a two-story Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) building in Shanghai's suburban Chuansha Town, Pudong, hit the headlines recently.

The courtyard is known as the former residence of Huang Yanpei, a politician and well-respected educator in China's modern history.

What brought the courtyard to the media's attention is the newly found historic records showing that Soong Ching Ling, wife of Dr Sun Yat-sen and the country's honorary president, was born there.

Besides, the archives show Soong's parents were married in this courtyard.

The findings have prompted the Pudong New Area government to vow to invest 25 million yuan (US$3 million) to rebuild the front gate and to expand the courtyard to its original size.

Over the years, about two-thirds of the courtyard has been ruined or demolished to make room for other buildings at the site.

The project will take a while to complete, but the residence of Huang, which has been turned into a museum, is worth visiting.

Built in 1834, this 169-year-old courtyard is located at 74 Nanshi Street in Chuansha.

At the center of the courtyard is a pristine two-story wood and brick structure. The walls are painted white and the roof is covered with black tiles, creating an age-old look.

The most amazing thing about the structure is that all the joints of the building were fastened together without the use of any nails.

Huang was born into a scholar family and moved into the courtyard after his parents took over the house from his uncle in 1885.

During the following 20 years, Huang lived in this courtyard, befriended local intellectuals and sponsored many educational organizations.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Huang held senior positions within the central government.

In 1965, Huang died at the age of 88. After his death, local people collected funds to maintain his former residence.

(Eastday.com August 30, 2003)