Wang's Salt Merchant Mansion

Wang's Salt Merchant Mansion

The Wang's Salt Merchant Mansion is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Wang Lumen Salt Merchant Mansion originally covered an area of over 5,600 square meters and is one of the larger surviving salt merchant residences in Yangzhou. Most of the buildings in the residence feature an upper floor over a lower hall structure, with all rooms on the upper floor interconnected to form a "linked floor" layout — an uncommon design in traditional courtyard homes. The most exquisite and finely crafted part is the south-facing main hall, which is the largest and most intact nanmu (phoebe nanmu) hall among the surviving salt merchant residences in Yangzhou. In terms of materials, every component — including the vertical columns, framework, beams, purlins, king posts, lintels, rafters, and carved decorative elements — is made of nanmu. In terms of craftsmanship, the main beams are of the moon-beam style, with diameters reaching 0.6 meters. Between the purlins and the main beams, the square-shaped king posts are supported at their lower ends by bracket sets (dougong). The ridge beam at the top is not supported by king posts but instead rests on large bracket openings. The wooden rafters are square, unlike the more common semicircular ones. The boat-roofed front porch spans over two meters. The woodwork is adorned with carvings, showcasing refined, smooth, and straightforward craftsmanship that highlights the innate beauty of nanmu. The other halls are also exquisitely crafted and ingeniously designed.

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units