Ninety-Nine and a Half

Ninety-Nine and a Half

The Zhou Family Residence in Taizhou, known among locals as "Ninety-Nine and a Half," will soon regain its historical architectural grandeur. The traditional “sounding hall” construction technique, which had nearly disappeared after the founding of the People’s Republic of China, will be revived. Currently, 80% of the overall project has been completed.

Foremost of Taizhou’s Ancient Residences

The Zhou Family Residence, located at No. 17 Hanxi Street in Taizhou on the west side of Caohe Head in the urban area, was designated as a Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit in 1995. Built during the Xianfeng era of the Qing Dynasty and later expanded, the residence consists of ninety-nine and a half rooms of various sizes, covering a total floor area of nearly 2,900 square meters. The entire complex is arranged along four axes and comprises over ten courtyards formed by fourteen individual courtyards. The residence includes halls, accounting rooms, wing rooms, wells, gardens, rockeries, and more. The entire architectural complex features blue bricks and black tiles, with exquisite craftsmanship and stunning wood carvings, brick carvings, and stone carvings.

“Sounding Halls” Are a True Marvel

The Zhou Family Residence originally had “sounding halls.” A “sounding hall” is constructed by laying square bricks over inverted pottery basins that are raised off the ground. When people walk across the floor, the space beneath creates a resonant echo, giving a sense of solemnity and mystery while also providing moisture-proofing. This method had almost vanished after the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

To preserve this traditional craft, Taizhou specially commissioned pottery basins from Yixing and applied the “sounding hall” technique in the flooring of five of the halls.

Following the principle of “not altering the original appearance,” the construction team restored key structures within the courtyard, including the main gate hall, screen wall, large and small main halls, wing rooms, accounting room, small flower hall, west wing room, and butterfly hall.

Corridor Eaves Restored to Original Form

Originally, there was a garden and a butterfly hall on the west side of the Zhou Family Residence, with an ornamental terrazzo platform in front of the butterfly hall. Research indicates that this platform was the first terrazzo architectural feature in northern Jiangsu. The restoration work on it has now been completed.

Every corridor of the old Zhou residence features eaves that eliminate the need for umbrellas even on rainy days. These eaves have now been restored as closely as possible to their original forms. Among them, the wooden carvings of flowers, birds, and figures on the eaves of the southeast side of the butterfly hall have been fully restored, with the centuries-old carvings vividly lifelike.