Han Village Shop

Han Village Shop

The Han Village Shop is a protected cultural heritage site of Jiangsu Province.

The Han Village Shop is located on the main street of the village. The shop building spans three bays, is 10.28 meters wide, and 7.08 meters deep, with seven purlins and front and rear corridors. It features a flush-gable roof with board tiles, round wooden columns, and column capitals with lotus-shaped curved cuts, but no bracket arms. The eave columns are made of catalpa wood, with stone lamp-shaped bases. The inner columns are nanmu wood, 28 centimeters in diameter and 3.45 meters high, with wooden column bases. All mountain posts reach the ground and have wooden bases. The beams are made of ginkgo wood, flat in section, crescent-shaped, and carved. The five-purlin beam is embedded in the slot of the step column, with pads and ang-type bracket arms placed beneath. Bracket sets are installed on the five-purlin beam, with lotus-petal-shaped pads supporting the three-purlin beam. Square pillar-like brackets and bracket sets are used on the mountain beam to support the ridge purlin. The corners of the pillars are carved with petal patterns, the eagle-beak ends feature rounded curves with scroll designs, and the spaces between the mountains are adorned with non-through-carved cloud motifs. Flat, thin crescent-shaped step beams connect the inner and eave columns. The mountain columns are also linked with single-step crescent beams and lintels. Beams and bracket sets hold up the purlins, interspersed with wave-patterned auxiliary beams or purlin-supporting lintels, along with square rafters, forming the complete roof truss structure. The storefront is set back by one bay to suit functional needs. In the central bay, upper and lower sills are installed between the step columns. The upper sill is 72 centimeters from the step column, with a horizontal panel inserted in between; the lower sill is close to the step stone. About 79 centimeters from the left inner column, a square post is erected between the upper and lower sills. At about 1 meter below the square post, a middle sill 15 centimeters wide and 14 centimeters thick—shaped like a counter—is installed on both sides. A skirt board is also attached under the counter. Between the upper sill and the counter, two short posts divide the central space into three window openings spaced at 75, 73, and 75 centimeters, each fitted with a vertically opening door leaf, creating display windows. The right secondary bay also has upper and lower sills, with the upper sill attached to the inner purlin and the lower sill at the same height as in the central bay. Then, according to usage requirements, three posts are installed in the middle, spaced at 75, 84, 103, and 20 centimeters from left to right, dividing the space into four sections. At varying heights, one or two horizontal beams are added with panels to form the “目”-shaped doorposts on either side of the main and side doors. On both sides of the main door, there are two bluestone pedestals, with a connecting post placed on the upper sill, and a “Hehe” (Harmony) door installed, preserving the Ming Dynasty style.

Only two complete examples of Ming Dynasty shop architecture survive in China—one here, and the other in Chengdu, Sichuan. A tomb stele inscribed by Zhu Yunming, one of the Four Great Talents of the Jiangnan region, is still preserved inside the shop.

On October 22, 2002, the Han Village Shop was designated as part of the fifth group of cultural heritage sites protected by Jiangsu Province.

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Cultural Heritage Sites Protected by Jiangsu Province