North Zhangjia Lane Carved Flower Building

North Zhangjia Lane Carved Flower Building

The North Zhangjia Lane Carved Flower Building is a Suzhou Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

North Zhangjia Lane Carved Flower Building, also known as the Shen Residence. Within the Shen Residence at No. 9 North Zhangjia Lane, there are two exquisitely crafted small carved flower buildings, which were constructed more than seventy years before the Dongshan Carved Flower Mansion. The entire building hall is adorned with carvings of clouds, flowers, and birds and beasts. Beneath the corridor eaves on the ground floor, the six corner brackets are carved with raised ornaments such as paired lion heads, bats, and cranes holding ganoderma, all featuring extremely delicate and elegant designs. All the window lattices are rich in patterns.

The Shen Residence faces south and has a total construction area of 4,100 square meters, divided into three sections: central, western, and eastern. The main building is located in the center, consisting sequentially of an entrance hall, sedan hall, main hall, and two courtyards of building halls, totaling five sections. The first three sections are of the typical traditional Suzhou style, with three-bay round timber framing and a combined post-and-lintel and pier-and-lintel structural system. The last two courtyards of building halls face each other from north to south, are of equal size, and are connected on both sides by wing rooms, forming a covered corridor building. Both buildings are 12.2 meters wide and 8.9 meters deep. The upper and lower floors are interconnected by inner corridors, with the upper-floor corridors extending outward. The central stone-paved courtyard is roughly square. The exterior façade of the building is richly carved, with carving highlights concentrated on the protruding corridor eaves in front of the building. The square beam ends that protrude on the upper floor are carved on both sides, with carved panels attached to the front, creating a fully carved effect on the cantilevered ends. The diagonal supports under the cantilevered eave ends are exceptionally large in size, using openwork three-dimensional carving techniques. Structurally, they have lost their original functional role as supports and serve purely decorative purposes. The eave egress boards and other parts of the building are also abundantly carved, with motifs including landscapes, pavilions, birds and beasts, flowers, as well as antique patterns. Each carving features unique patterns, content, and shapes, all concentrated on the eave sections, demonstrating highly refined craftsmanship in the style of Dongyang woodcarving from Zhejiang. Overall, the architectural and carving characteristics of this building suggest it was constructed in the late Qing Dynasty. The eastern section of the residence includes a flower hall and a building hall. In terms of construction style, they are slightly earlier than the carved flower building, exhibiting early Qing architectural features, although many external façades have been altered. Although the carved flower building retains its original appearance, the carvings are significantly damaged.

The Shen Residence was built in the ninth year of the Tongzhi reign during the Qing Dynasty (1870 AD). It has five sections and features an exquisitely arranged layout with painted beams and carved rafters, embodying the architectural characteristics of the Qing Dynasty. The Shen family was originally wealthy, with properties spread across the area, and was known at the time as "Shen Half-Town." The residence covers an area of approximately 2,500 square meters, with about 800 square meters of its western part currently restored and open to the public.

The highlight of the Shen Residence is the Leshan Hall. This three-bay main hall is the most luxurious building in Luzhi Town, not only spacious and lofty but also covered in carvings. Additionally, with double-layered eaves at the front and back, it provides warmth in winter and coolness in summer. The interior of the hall is filled with

carvings that exude the grandeur of a wealthy family. The northern hall was originally the Shen family’s casual reception hall and now serves as the exhibition space for the “Wu East Water Town Women’s Costume Exhibition.”

Inside the hall, there is a couplet hanging from the pillars. One line reads: “Achievement in enterprise begins with ambition through hardship; the joy of reading stems from the pursuit of virtue and learning.” The other line reads: “Harmonious aura and auspicious light, clear reputation and noble conduct; esteeming virtue and delighting in righteousness, united in benevolence and grace.”