Traditional quadrangle dwellings of southern Liaoning

Traditional quadrangle dwellings of southern Liaoning

The traditional quadrangle dwellings of southern Liaoning are a protected cultural heritage site of Liaoning Province.

The traditional quadrangle dwellings of southern Liaoning are located in the Gulou Subdistrict Office of Gaizhou City. Comprising a complex of 14 residential quadrangle buildings, they represent a significant new discovery from the third national cultural relics survey. The overall preservation condition is relatively good.

The complex includes five typical southern Liaoning-style quadrangle buildings as well as the estates of the Zhu, Zang, Wu, and Ma families, along with merchant shops and residences of officials from the puppet Manchukuo regime.

The five typical southern Liaoning quadrangle buildings are mostly single-story structures built on stone foundations, with blue brick walls, double-sloped roofs in the flush-gable style, wooden doors and windows. They feature varying widths of five or seven bays, with some entrance gateways still intact. Certain wing rooms have domed roofs, and more elaborate quadrangles include six porch pillars supporting protruding eaves. The floor area generally ranges around 100–200 square meters.

The Zhu Family Compound is a distinctive example of a southern Liaoning quadrangle dwelling. It retains a stone foundation, blue brick construction, and a double-sloped roof covered with green tiles in the flush-gable style, with wooden doors and windows. The west wing room has a domed roof, and the entrance gateway is situated in the middle of the central main room to the south. The structure spans eleven bays, faces south, and has a main building that is 35 meters long and 6.3 meters wide, with wing rooms measuring 10 meters long and 6 meters wide. The total floor area is 561 square meters, and the compound occupies approximately 1,750 square meters.

The Zang Family Compound was built between 1935 and 1936. According to Zang Shengchang, this complex served as the residence of the Wanchanghou Merchant Family. With a construction area of 1,320 square meters, the compound features three gates and a two-courtyard layout, facing south. It consists of a front and rear hall, the main house, and wing rooms—namely, 15 bays each for the front and rear halls, a main house spanning 7 bays, and wing rooms spanning 5 bays. The structure also features stone foundations, blue brick walls, and a flush-gable roof covered with green tiles.

The Wu Family Compound is located in Jian Shi Hutong and is a typical southern Liaoning quadrangle building from the Republican era. Facing south, it includes two main buildings, the western side spanning 7 bays, and two wing rooms on the east and west sides, each spanning 5 bays. It has a stone foundation, blue brick walls, a flush-gable roof with green tiles, and a total floor area of 396 square meters.

The San Dao Men Ma Family Compound is located in Jian Shi Hutong and was built during the Republican period. It is a traditional southern Liaoning quadrangle residence consisting of a main house, gatehouse, and east and west wing rooms, with a total floor area of 642 square meters. Both the main house and gatehouse span 11 bays, while the wing rooms span 5 bays. The structure faces south, has a stone foundation, blue brick walls, a flush-gable roof with green tiles, and is in the flush-gable style.

The former site of the Gongyitang Merchant Shop was a business that produced and sold socks, with the shop at the front and workshop at the back. Built between 1912 and 1914, this southern Liaoning quadrangle dwelling has a total floor area of 397 square meters and consists of four buildings: the main house, gatehouse, and north and south wing rooms. These include a 5-bay main house, 4-bay gatehouse, and 5-bay wing rooms. The structure faces south, is in the flush-gable style, has a stone foundation, blue brick walls, and a double-sloped roof with green tiles.

The former site of the Gongxingmao Merchant Shop was initially established in the early Republican years. This traditional southern Liaoning quadrangle dwelling faces south, covers an area of 630 square meters, and includes a shopfront and main house spanning seven bays, measuring 19 meters in length and 7 meters in width. The wing rooms inside the courtyard span five bays, measuring 15 meters in length and 6.1 meters in width. It has a stone foundation, blue brick walls, a double-sloped roof with green tiles, Western-style façade, and a traditional Chinese sign reading “Gongxingmao” (meaning “Prosperous Prosperity”) on the lintel. It was a silk trading business, with the shopfront at the front, and workshops, warehouses, and living quarters within the courtyard.

The Gaizhou Elderly Calligraphy and Painting Research Association is housed in a southern Liaoning quadrangle dwelling with a stone foundation, blue brick walls, and flush-gable double-sloped roofs with green tiles in the main front and rear buildings, which are in the flush-gable style. The wing rooms also have double-sloped roofs and wooden doors and windows. The structure faces south, with the main building measuring 22.4 meters in length and 7.1 meters in width. The wing rooms no longer exist, but there is a pond between the front and rear main buildings.

The Qin Family Temple has a stone foundation, blue brick walls, spans five bays in width and one bay in depth, and features a flush-gable double-sloped roof with green tiles, with flying rafters on the front eaves, in the flush-gable style, and wooden doors and windows. It faces south, measures 17.4 meters in length and 8 meters in width, and has a construction area of 139.2 square meters. Located near the eastern ancient city wall and on higher ground, this relatively tall structure is one of the taller buildings within the old city. Originally part of the same architectural complex as two other Qin family residences to its north, it follows the layout of a southern Liaoning quadrangle dwelling.

The former residence of Feng Hanchen is located within the campus of Shengli Primary School. It has a stone foundation, blue brick walls, a four-sloped tile roof, and consists of a courtyard formed by four rows of buildings facing south, totaling six structures with a combined floor area of approximately 1,274.5 square meters. Feng Hanchen was an official of the puppet Manchukuo regime, and this building served as his private residence within the ancient city of Gaizhou.

In 2014, the People’s Government of Liaoning Province (Liao Zheng Fa [2014] No. 27) designated the traditional quadrangle dwellings of southern Liaoning as a provincial-level cultural heritage protection unit.

Source: Municipal Bureau of Culture, Sports, Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television. Contributor: Dong Wenjie

Gulou Subdistrict: Located in Gaizhou City, Yingkou, Liaoning. It governs the following areas:

210881001001 111 Xiguan Community

210881001002 111 Yonghe Community

210881001003 111 Beiguan Community

210881001004 111 Xingchen Community

210881001005 111 Dongguan Community

210881001006 111 Qianjin Community

210881001008 111 …… More details about Gulou Subdistrict++