Ningde Hall

Ningde Hall

Ningde Hall is located in Wengxiang, Dongshan Town, Suzhou. The residence was transferred from the Xi family to the Yan family. There is no available information on the original owner or the time of its initial construction. Judging from the site, it is a Ming Dynasty building. In 1982, it was listed as a Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The entire residence was originally quite large. Along the central axis were a wall gate, main hall, and residential building, with wing rooms or side towers on both sides, and side lanes on the edges, along with additional structures such as a garden, reception hall, and small building. Today, only three buildings remain: the gatehouse, second gate, and main hall. The gatehouse has three bays in width, with side rooms attached, a depth of seven rafters, and corridors at both the front and back. The second gate is situated between the gatehouse and the main hall, essentially serving as the courtyard gate. It is flanked by finely crafted brick walls that separate the front and back sections. The gate is 3.5 meters wide and 2.6 meters deep, with a flush gable roof and decorative bargeboards on the gable ends. Its external appearance resembles a wooden memorial archway. Below the gate pillars are a pair of exquisitely made pillow stones, locally referred to as a “longevity and happiness wall gate.” Wooden beams connect the tops of the pillars, supporting three sets of bracket sets with one block and six cantilevers. Diagonal braces extend from the front and back of the pillars to support the far-reaching eaves, known as “sparrow-perching eaves.” The wooden components are exquisitely crafted and adorned with wood carvings, making it a valuable artifact for studying Ming Dynasty wood carving art.

The main hall is 13.05 meters wide with three bays and 12.58 meters deep with seven rafters, featuring corridors at both the front and back. The roof has a gently sloping flush gable design. Inside, the columns and beams are mostly connected by large bracket blocks, with the corners of the brackets featuring crabapple curve designs, retaining the stylistic legacy of the Song Dynasty. The eave pillars are chamfered, and the column bases are in the shape of blue stone drums. The main beams are five-rafter spans in a moon beam style, with beam pads at the lower ends supported by bracket arms extending from the pillars, and the bracket arms are topped with rafter supports (resembling the ancient official’s gauze hat). Below the ridge beam on the gable side, the load is borne by bracket sets with two cantilevers, with triangular floral panels carved with cloud and crane patterns mounted on the sides of the brackets, known as “mountain mist clouds.”

The three buildings feature extensive colored paintings on their wooden frames, with 61 surviving in the main hall, 18 in the second gate, and 9 in the gatehouse. The basic style of the paintings is “wrapped brocade,” with various patterns painted in different sizes and positions on the beams and brackets, creating a rich and vibrant visual effect. The design highlights the main elements, uses bright colors, and features elegant and graceful forms, representing the culmination of Suzhou-style painted decoration.

Dongshan Town: Located southwest of Suzhou and 37 kilometers from the ancient city of Suzhou, Dongshan Town is a shining pearl on the shores of Taihu Lake. The town covers a total area of 96.55 square kilometers, governs 13 villages (communities), and has a permanent population of 54,000. Surrounded by water on three sides and blessed with a pleasant climate and abundant natural resources, Dongshan Town is a famous fruit mountain and land of fish and rice. It enjoys the reputations of “China’s Biluochun Tea Hometown” and “China’s Taihu Crab Hometown.” Biluochun tea, white sand loquats, black-purple bayberries, Taihu hairy crabs, various premium vegetables, and high-quality Taihu aquatic products are available year-round. “There are fruits in every season, flowers every month...” More details about Dongshan Town ++

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units