Yang Family Residence at Chunhui Hall

Yang Family Residence at Chunhui Hall

The Yang Family Residence at Chunhui Hall is a cultural heritage site protected by the Suzhou Municipal Government.

The Yang Family Residence at Chunhui Hall was originally the home of Shen Shixing (1535–1614), Grand Secretary and Minister of Personnel during the Ming Dynasty’s Wanli era. During the Qing Dynasty’s Qianlong period, it belonged to scholar Bi Yuan (1730–1797), who served as Governor-General of Huguang. Later, it came into the possession of the Wang and Yang families. The residence has two sections, both facing south, and covers an area of approximately 6,000 square meters. The eastern section has been gradually demolished. The western section is the main section, which originally had six courtyards. Now only the main hall and three-story buildings in the third courtyard remain. The main hall, “Chunhui Hall,” is the oldest part, featuring a width of three bays plus side wings on both sides, totaling 24 meters in length and 13.15 meters in depth. It has flat-style beams adorned with decorative cloud motifs and bracket arms, with double-eave front bays and single-eave rear bays. There are five rows of dougong brackets between the purlins and beams, reflecting early Qing architectural style. The three-story buildings behind the hall all consist of five bays with two side wings each.