Huai'an Prefecture Yamen

Huai'an Prefecture Yamen

Huai'an Prefecture Yamen is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction and a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level.

Huai'an Prefecture Yamen

Huai'an Prefecture Yamen is located in the historic and cultural city of Huai'an, Jiangsu Province, on East Gate Street in Chuzhou District (the old town of Huai'an), north of the Grand Canal Governor's Office. Its main hall is the largest of its kind in China, covering an area of over 500 square meters. The Huai'an Prefecture Yamen is a symbol and testament to Huai'an’s historical significance, distinguished by its grand scale.

Huai'an Prefecture Yamen is located on East Gate Street in Chuzhou District, Huai'an City, Jiangsu Province, a national historic and cultural city, north of the Grand Canal Governor's Office. Its main hall is the largest of its kind in China, covering an area of over 500 square meters.

History

The architectural history of Huai'an Prefecture Yamen dates back to the Southern Song Dynasty. The existing government office was originally the Wutong Temple from the Southern Song, and during the Yuan Dynasty, it served as the Yiyuan Garrison Command. In the first year of the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty, Magistrate Fan Zhong renovated the former Yuan-era Huai'an Road Provincial Administration Office (currently the site of the Grand Canal Governor's Office) into the prefectural yamen. In the third year of Hongwu, Yao Bin, the newly appointed Huai'an magistrate, selected a site within the city — the area north of Shangban Street, which included the Southern Song Wutong Temple and the Yuan Yiyuan Garrison Command. He then reconstructed and repurposed it as the new prefectural yamen, which remained in use until the end of the Qing Dynasty.

Architecture

The yamen complex includes over 50 buildings with more than 600 rooms, divided into eastern, central, and western sections. The central section houses the main hall, secondary hall, and offices for the six departments. The eastern section was used for receiving guests and banquets, while the western section served as the military and police office. Outside the main gate are stone lions, a screen wall, and memorial archways.

Additionally, according to local historical records, there was also the Zhiqing Hall, located behind the yamen office, with a plaque inscribed by Sun Huchen, a Song Dynasty official of Chuzhou. There was also the Choubian Hall inside the yamen, also built during the Song Dynasty, which was said to be "magnificent and unrivaled among neighboring prefectures." Behind the Tenghua Hall was the kitchen, with the kitchen workers' area known as Sigui Hall, likely serving as a dining hall.

In the rear part of the yamen, there was a garden originally named "Toule Yuan" (Garden of Stolen Joy). Magistrate Chen Wenzhu's poem collection Huai Shang Shi contains the piece "March 3rd at Toule Yuan", with a preface stating: "The garden is located behind the official office, featuring pavilions, ponds, vegetable plots. On the day of the Spring Purification Festival, I invited my son Junrui and his teacher Fei Yifang to drink here. Upon reading a stele on the wall of Magistrate Zhongnian of Lishui, it read: 'Worry about water, worry about drought, yet the prefect’s joy is stolen.'” The official Zhang Dunren, who served as Huai'an magistrate in the 29th year of the Jiajing era, authored a piece titled “Record of Toule Yuan,” describing: “North of the hall lies an office, within it a pavilion, the pavilion has a pond, above the pond a bridge, and on both sides of the pavilion are cypresses and locust trees.” The name “Stolen Joy” was given by him, and he hung a plaque there; his “Record of Toule Yuan” was also engraved on a stone tablet in the garden. During the Tianqi era, Huai'an Magistrate Song Zushun deemed the character “偷 (stolen)” inappropriate and changed the garden’s name to “Yule Yuan” (Garden of Remaining Joy). However, a restaurant on Shangban Street retained the original name.

Fifth Batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units, October 2002 – Huai'an Prefecture Yamen, Ming and Qing Dynasties, Chuzhou District, Huai'an City

Address: No. 38, East Gate Street, Chuzhou District, Huai'an City, Jiangsu Province

Type: Historical Architecture

Rating: AAAA

Recommended Visit Duration: Approximately 2 hours

Phone: 0517-85131181

Official Website: http://www.hafs-china.cn/

Opening Hours:

8:30–18:00

Ticket Information:

Adult ticket: 60 RMB; children under 1.2 meters, seniors over 70, people with disabilities, and military personnel with valid ID can enter free of charge; primary school students enjoy a discounted ticket of 20 RMB; junior high, high school, and university students can enjoy a discounted ticket of 30 RMB (all require valid ID).

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Sixth Batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level