Chundetang

Chundetang

Chundetang is a Suzhou Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Chundetang is located at No. 80, Zhangxiang, Yangwan Village, Dongshan, Wuzhong District, dating back to the Qing Dynasty.

There are currently seven individual heritage buildings still standing — one sedan-chair hall; one main hall; one residence building; one flower hall; one study; one library building; and one well. The entire complex is extremely large in scale, with its layout divided into three sections: east, middle, and west, all interconnected by service lanes. The east section includes the flower hall and study; the middle section includes the sedan-chair hall, main hall, and residence building; the west section includes the library building.

The three sections of individual buildings are surrounded by tall courtyard walls. There are two layers of front courtyard walls, with an ancient well situated between the two. The sedan-chair hall features a double-sloped flush-gable roof, with five-panel screen-style firewalls on the gable ends. It is three bays wide, with a depth of 8.0 meters, and follows an inner-four-bay-with-front-corridor structural style. The main hall is three bays wide, with a depth of 11.4 meters, and follows an inner-four-bay-with-front-corridor-and-single-step-behind structural style. Originally, there was a connecting hallway behind the main hall, but unfortunately it has been destroyed. The residence building is five bays wide with two side wings, and the second-floor framework uses an inner-four-bay-with-double-steps-in-front-and-back approach. The inner four bays use round-section raised-beam construction, while the side sections use through-tenon construction. The center of the courtyard wall in front of the residence building features a brick-carved gate, with the inscription “Qin Jian Ren?” (translated as “Diligence, Frugality, Endurance?”) on the decorative plaque.

The flower hall in the east section is three bays wide, following an inner-four-bay-with-front-corridor-and-veranda structural style. The inner four bays use flat-section raised-beam construction, and the side sections use through-tenon construction. Behind the flower hall, a service lane leads to the rear study. The library building in the west section is three bays wide and 9 meters long, with a depth of 11.5 meters. The ground floor of the library building was originally designed with four linked verandas, though only the front half remains today. The second-floor framework uses round-section raised-beam construction.

In 2009, Chundetang was listed by the municipal government as part of the seventh group of Suzhou Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Units.