Wuliu Hall

Wuliu Hall

Wuliu Hall is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Jiangsu Province.

Guide: The first section is the Nanmu Hall, the second is the Slanted Hall, and the third is the 0 Hall. All are single-story houses with a flush gable roof and three bays in width. The Nanmu Hall is a Ming Dynasty structure, with both beams and pillars made of nanmu wood. The beams are large in size, the pillars are prism-shaped, and their tops feature rolled edges. The hall uses raised-beam construction, and the secondary bays on the gable sides have no central pillars. This kind of architectural feature, reminiscent of the Song and Yuan dynasties, is extremely valuable. The Slanted Hall was built in the early Qing Dynasty. The entire structure stands at an angle and is not aligned with the central axis of the Nanmu Hall, giving it a distinctive character. The 0 Hall is connected to the Slanted Hall via a corridor, with unique additional structures built on the east and west sides. The library building, also known as the Youjing Tower, is a two-story structure named after the line from Tao Qian’s poem “My joy lies in the Six Classics.” It was built during the Republican era and served as a place for Tao Pengxian to store books and write. He compiled works such as "Collected Poems of Tang Poets from Runzhou" here, giving it certain academic value. Introduction: The Wuliu Hall complex, a group of residential buildings from the Ming, Qing, and Republican periods, is located on Yanjun Lane in the city center. It originally consisted of seven sections of single-story houses and one library building. Currently, three sections of houses and the library building are preserved in situ. It is a provincial-level cultural heritage site. The Wuliu Hall architectural complex spans three historical periods—Ming, Qing, and Republican—and represents the characteristics and style of ancient Zhenjiang residences. Five Chinese tamarisk trees in the courtyard echo the symbolic meaning of Wuliu Hall.

History: The owners of Wuliu Hall, the Tao family, originally lived in Xunyang, Jiangxi, before relocating to Zhenjiang. They gradually grew into magnates of the silk industry through handcrafted silk twisting. The Tao family are descendants of Tao Qian, also known as the Master of Five Willows, hence they named the residence “Wuliu Hall” to show respect for their ancestors. Transportation: Take bus No. 21 or 26 in the city center and get off at Yanjun Lane Station.　

· Zhenjiang, Jiangsu

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units