Qi Family Residence on Jiefang Street

Qi Family Residence on Jiefang Street

The Qi Family Residence on Jiefang Street is a protected cultural heritage site of Jiangsu Province.

Long ago in Kou’an Town, Qinzhou, there was a saying: “The grand building of the Li family, the open hall of the Qi family.” The “grand building of the Li family” has since been transformed into today’s Carved Flower Building, becoming a well-known cultural attraction in the area; the “open hall of the Qi family” refers to the ancient Qi Family Residence.

The Qi Family Residence on Jiefang Street was built during the Tianqi era of the Ming Dynasty after Qi Shiguang passed the imperial examination as a Jinshi, and it has a history of over 400 years. The residence is located on Qingyuan Street, a thousand-year-old street that formed during the Qingyuan era of the Southern Song Dynasty (known as Jiefang Street after the founding of the People’s Republic of China). In the old days, the ancient street was lined with shops and mansions, and many wealthy merchants and prominent families in Kou’an Town lived here.

The Qi Residence faces south and its main gate opens onto the street. From south to north, it consists of five sections in sequence: the front gate, the reception hall, the main hall, the open hall, the ancestral hall, and a rear garden. The halls are arranged in an orderly fashion, and the courtyards are deep, exuding the grandeur they once had despite the passage of time. It is one of the better-preserved Ming Dynasty buildings in Gaogang and holds high cultural heritage value. The Ming Dynasty imperial plaque box and a nearly 400-year-old boxwood tree showcase the ancient charm and enduring legacy, serving as two treasured relics within the Qi Family Residence.

In March 2019, the Qi Family Residence on Jiefang Street was included in the eighth batch of protected cultural heritage sites of Jiangsu Province.

Further Reading:

· Eighth Batch of Protected Cultural Heritage Sites of Jiangsu Province