Former Residence of Shen Shou in Mudu

Xishan Carved Building (Renben Hall)

The Xishan Carved Building is located in Tangli Village, Jinting Town, Wuzhong District, Suzhou. In ancient times, transportation in the Jiangnan region mostly relied on waterways, and Tangli had well-connected “living water” docks. The original name of the Xishan Carved Building was “Renben Hall,” which means “benevolence as the foundation, and rites as the basis of education.” Covering an area of about 3 acres, it once had five courtyards, seven sections, and seven courtyards. Built during the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty, it was once the most prominent residence on Xishan.

An important reason the Carved Building has been preserved to this day is its unparalleled carvings. As soon as you enter, you are greeted by exquisite carvings. The beams, columns, lintels, and long windows are adorned with beautiful wooden carvings; the gate towers, screen walls, and walls are crafted from sturdy, weighty brick carvings. With over 3,000 carvings in total — from large brick-carved plaques to small wooden lattice windows — depicting flowers, birds, fish, insects, or opera stories, no two are alike. It’s a great pity that many were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. The renowned cultural relics appraiser Shi Shuqing once remarked: “It’s no ordinary residence; it has the grandeur of an imperial palace!”

The entire structure of the Carved Building is made entirely of wood. The main two-story building features meticulously carved door frames, porch pillars, panel walls, and window sills, utilizing techniques such as relief carving, shallow carving, raised carving, openwork carving, and hollow carving. The lower-floor side rooms are nearly 3 meters high, and the upper halves of their courtyard-facing doors are intricately hollow-carved and pieced together into floral patterns, allowing natural light and air to flow directly into the rooms. The lower halves of these doors feature solid wood panels with bas-relief floral carvings. The wooden window designs on the second floor are different: the lower sections are carved with intertwined flowers and plants, while the upper sections consist of hollowed-out combinations of square, diamond, and triangular patterns. The outer walls of the first and second floors have a protruding ring of eaves in the middle, featuring hollow carvings of children and deer, and lambs at play. The carved floral patterns form the eave posts and edges, while the flat surfaces are covered with bas-reliefs of multiple floral branches encircling the character for “longevity” (寿), reflecting the owner's aspiration for lasting peace, wealth, and prosperity.

The classic, old-style furniture inside the ancient house adds charm to the Carved Building. In the spacious main hall, the mahogany Eight Immortals table, armchairs, and offering table placed directly opposite the entrance are covered with intricate patterns carved using relief techniques. Ascending the wooden staircase to the second floor bedroom, the broad skirt border around the front of the mahogany bed is entirely hollow-carved — such elaborate designs could not have been achieved without superb carving skills. The tall mahogany wardrobe against the wall, besides being exquisitely carved, is also inlaid with multiple marble pieces of varying sizes and light-colored patterns, further highlighting the splendor of Ming and Qing dynasty furniture, reflecting the brilliance of Chinese civilization and Jiangnan characteristics from those eras.

The current Carved Building was gradually built up over time by descendants of the Xu family across four dynasties: Kangxi, Qianlong, Xianfeng, and Daoguang. The entire complex consists of interconnected buildings and rooms, with passages between floors and rooms, making it grand in scale and often regarded as the foremost ancient residence in Jiangnan.

Address: No. 26, Hexi Lane, Tangli Ancient Village, Jinting Town, Wuzhong District, Suzhou

Type: Historical Architecture

Recommended Visiting Time: 1–2 hours

Opening Hours:

8:00-17:00

Ticket Information:

Gate Price: 50.0 RMB

Adult ticket: 50 RMB; Children under 1.2m are free; Children between 1.2m and 1.4m can purchase child tickets; students and seniors over 60 enjoy a half-price discount of 25 RMB.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Three Masterpieces of Gusu Carved Buildings

Suzhou Xishan Scenic Area

Linwu Cave

Suzhou Shigong Mountain

Mingyue Bay Ancient Village on Taihu Lake’s Xishan

Shuiyue Temple on Taihu Lake’s Xishan

Luohan Temple on Taihu Lake’s Xishan

Piaomiao Peak Scenic Area on Taihu Lake’s Xishan

Baoshan Temple