Dongshan Shaode Hall

Dongshan Shaode Hall

Dongshan Shaode Hall is a cultural heritage conservation unit of Jiangsu Province.

Dongshan Shaode Hall in Xinyi Village, Dongshan, Suzhou, was a residence purchased by the Ye family. The main axis of the residence still features three sections of structures: the courtyard gate, the main hall, and the residential building. Originally, there were also additional buildings such as the gatehouse, tea hall, and garden. Each section was enclosed by courtyard walls, connected through a central gate. On both sides of the courtyard were wing rooms (side rooms), with service corridors on the edges serving as daily access routes, but unfortunately, these have now been ruined, leaving only remnants. However, even the existing three structures are sufficient to demonstrate the original scale. The residence is laid out with strict symmetry, featuring gently sloped roofs and simple, ancient structures, clearly dating back to the Ming Dynasty. It was listed as a cultural heritage conservation unit of Jiangsu Province in 1982.

The courtyard gate (also known as the inner gate) is located directly south of the main hall. It is a brick-and-wood gate structure, 4.27 meters wide and 3 meters deep, with high gate pivots placed under the columns. In front of the columns are stone door sockets carved in the shape of flower-patterned drum stands, with two lions intricately carved in the center—boldly executed and vividly shaped. Wooden beams rest atop the columns to support the arch, with diagonal wooden braces intricately carved and extending from front to back to prop up the double-sloped roof in the form of a memorial archway. The central lintel features an openwork carving of two lions playing with a ball, intricately hollowed out, with a matching lintel on the reverse side adorned with four floral-and-bird patterns and the Chinese character “福” (fortune) in the center, symbolizing “fortune upon exiting the gate,” hence its nickname “Fortune and Longevity Gate.” Above it is a plaque flanked by two wooden carvings depicting the “Three Friends of Winter” (pine, bamboo, and plum), while the upper lintel is carved with “carp leaping over the dragon gate.” The wooden carvings are horizontally inscribed. They support a flat lintel with bracket sets that do not feature upward-curving arms; the bracket sets are of the one-dou-six-sheng type, with three sets in the central bay and half sets on the wall sides. On the column-hugging brackets are applied pu-xie-head bracket arms, which support the sparrow-perched eaves that in turn bear the purlins. The purlins are all structured with bracket sets.

Passing through the courtyard gate and crossing the central courtyard leads to the main hall, with wing rooms on both sides. The hall is five bays wide, with secondary bays featuring “service corridors.” It has a depth of seven rafters, with a front porch and rear corridor, and appears externally as a hard mountain-style double-sloped tiled roof. Below, there is a low bluestone foundation, with the front eave columns being chamfered square pillars supported by bluestone bases. The outer golden columns (step columns) have inverted basin bases, while the gable columns use wooden drum-shaped bases. The variety of base types throughout the hall suggests they may have been replaced during later renovations.

The beam framework uses crescent-shaped beams made of relatively large timber. In addition to large bracket sets, the beams and columns also employ beam pads, bracket sets, lotus-petal pedestals, triangular plates, rafter braces, and intricately hollowed long auxiliary beams to enhance the hall’s ornate appearance. Additionally, the ridge beams of the central and side bays are painted with colorful designs in deep hues, rendered with rather rough brushwork, likely remnants of later repainting efforts.

The residential building is the final section along the main axis, intended as living quarters for the women of the household. It is three bays wide, with wing rooms on both sides. It has a depth of seven rafters, with corridors both in the front and rear. The front corridor is particularly deep, supported by two rows of columns—square ones in the front—with a secondary roof built above the corridor, causing the floor level to recede by half a bay, forming a waist eave style that connects with the eaves of the corridor-side rooms. Originally, low wooden railings were installed inside the corridor eaves around the building for sitting and resting, but these have since been ruined. Its wooden framework is plain and unadorned, emphasizing practicality. The ground floor is not as tall or as bright and airy as the upper floors. The central area serves as the living quarters for the female members of the family, hence slightly more decorative, while the sides are regular bedrooms. These features reflect the characteristics of Ming Dynasty residences.

Dongshan Town: Located southwest of Suzhou, Dongshan Town is 37 kilometers from the ancient city of Suzhou and is a dazzling 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, renowned as the “Hometown of Biluochun Tea” and the “Hometown of Taihu Crabs” in China. Biluochun tea, White Sand loquat, Black Purple bayberry, Taihu hairy crabs, various premium vegetables, and high-quality Taihu aquatic products are available year-round—“fruit in every season, flowers every month…” More information about Dongshan Town ++

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Cultural Heritage Conservation Units of Jiangsu Province