Ming Dynasty Residences in Taizhou

Ming Dynasty Residences in Taizhou

The Ming Dynasty Residences in Taizhou are protected as a cultural heritage site of Jiangsu Province.

Gong Family Residence

Located at No. 104 Gongyuan Road, Taizhou. The Gong family was a prominent clan in Taizhou from the late Ming Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty. The residence faces south and currently retains two east-west axes, each with four courtyards, covering an area of approximately 1,500 square meters. It is a well-preserved residence of a successful imperial examination candidate. The main eastern buildings include a hall and main rooms, all with flush gable roofs and small blue tiles. The hall is a Ming Dynasty structure, measuring three bays wide (12.25 meters) and seven rafters deep (8.5 meters), with a ridge beam 6.35 meters high. It features a post-and-lintel roof structure with round timber, using thick materials. At the column capitals, there are carvings such as lotus pad bases, bracket arms, beam clouds, and mountain fog clouds. The column tops are slightly tapered, and the columns rest on white marble pedestal bases. The interior floor is paved with diagonally laid square bricks, and screen doors are installed. The Ming-style partition doors have pierced apron panels carved in the shape of crabapple flowers. The front courtyard is paved with square stone blocks, and to the west, there is an ancient wintersweet tree. The three rear main rooms use smaller materials, with three bays each, front eaves featuring corridors, wooden boards under the columns, and post-and-lintel beams—all typical Qing Dynasty architectural features. The four western sections are smaller in scale, all with three bays and flush gable roofs. It is a cultural heritage site protected by Jiangsu Province.

Wang Family Residence

Located at No. 25 Jijia Courtyard, Taizhou. The construction date of the residence is unknown, but it later came into the ownership of the Wang family. The hall has a flush gable roof, three bays wide (12 meters) and seven rafters deep (6.9 meters), with a ridge beam 5.5 meters high. It uses cypress beams, with lotus pad bases and bracket arms at the spine and column capitals, and mountain fog clouds on the ridge beam. The main room also has a flush gable roof, three bays wide with flat timber, featuring screen doors between bays and is well-preserved. Behind the hall, there is a Ming Dynasty-era well engraved with the date of the Wanli era. It is a cultural heritage site protected by Jiangsu Province.

Wang Family Residence

Located at No. 8 Zhennan Road, Hailing District, Taizhou. The construction date of the residence is unknown, but it was later inhabited by a salt official surnamed Wang. The residence faces south, with the west hall and east main room positioned side by side. The hall has a flush gable roof, three bays wide (11.4 meters) and seven rafters deep (7.7 meters), with a nanmu wood frame. The step columns feature bracket arms, and lotus pad bases and bracket arms are used at the column capitals, with mountain fog clouds and beam clouds beneath the ridge beam. The main room uses a through-tenon beam frame and carved components, all well-preserved. It is a cultural heritage site protected by Jiangsu Province.

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Cultural Heritage Sites Protected by Jiangsu Province