Wu Family Mansion

Wu Family Mansion

Wu Family Mansion is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Wu Family Mansion is located in the middle section of Taizhou Road in downtown Yangzhou.

Wu Family Mansion was built in 1904 by Wu Daotai (who passed the imperial examination in the year of Gengmao during the Guangxu reign and had served as provincial administration commissioner in Guangdong, Gansu, Xinjiang, and Zhejiang, as well as provincial governor) at a cost of 400,000 taels of silver. His cousin Zhou Yingxiao supervised the construction, and builders and designers were brought in from Zhejiang. The structure was modeled after the office of the Ning-Shao-Taizhou Circuit Intendant, incorporating architectural elements of Yangzhou, to create this unique residence.

Originally, the Wu Daotai Mansion covered an area of 7,930 m², with a construction area of 5,584 m², and now retains an area of 2,650 m². It faces south and originally had five axes. In addition to the residential sections, there was a garden called “Wu Garden” located east of the former Beihexia Street, and a Wu family ancestral hall to the north. In the summer of 1945, a fire destroyed nearly three-fifths of the property. During the Japanese occupation of Yangzhou, the garden and ancestral hall were forcibly demolished to be used as a military training ground.

The surviving structures of Wu Daotai Mansion include the main gate hall, Cehai Tower, the Western-style small building, Guanyin Hall, Immortal Hall, Airi Pavilion, sedan chair hall, ceremonial gate, and screen wall. Axes two through five consist mainly of the residential areas. The entire mansion is square-shaped, enclosed by tall, thick walls made of blue bricks. Along the central axis are the gate hall, Western-style building, Vermilion Bird Hall, cooling hall, fish pond, and Cehai Tower. The western part consists of inner residences arranged across three courtyards, connected by corridors and separated by spacious stone-paved courtyards, creating an open and airy layout. The gate hall features an exquisitely carved brick gate tower adorned with two large circular stone wheels, giving it a grand and imposing appearance. The fish pond is constructed from rectangular granite blocks, rectangular in shape, surrounded by decorative iron railings, and connected to external water bodies. It is the largest fish pond in Yangzhou.

The entire Wu Daotai Mansion is grand in scale, ingeniously structured, exquisitely carved, and remarkably well-preserved. It blends elements of traditional Chinese classical architecture with Western classical styles, showcasing the essence of Chinese classical culture and the official culture of the past. It stands as a uniquely distinctive residential architectural complex among the ancient buildings of Yangzhou.

The Academician Historical Exhibition Hall was established and opened to the public in 2013. The exhibition utilizes the eastern-section buildings of Wu Family Mansion, namely Cehai Tower, corridors, and Guanyin Hall, covering an area of 800 square meters. It is divided into four sections: Introduction, China’s Academician System, Biographies of Yangzhou Academicians, and “The Four Outstanding Figures of the Wu Family.” The exhibition presents information in various formats, including text and photos, physical artifacts, and various sculptures, along with advanced audiovisual, lighting, and multimedia technologies that showcase precious video materials of the academicians. Among the over 70 academicians, there is the renowned “Four Outstanding Figures of the Wu Family,” as well as academicians who were not native to Yangzhou but worked in the city for many years. There are also those who were nearly forgotten—Yangzhou natives who became academicians of foreign nationalities.

In 2006, Wu Family Mansion was listed by the State Council as a sixth batch National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit for its status as a Qing Dynasty historic building.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units