Wang's Charitable Manor

Wang's Charitable Manor

Wang's Charitable Manor is located at No. 480 Shantang Street. It was established in the seventh year of the Daoguang reign (1827) by Wang Shizhong. The existing structure consists of four courtyards: the front gate, ceremonial gate, main hall, and rear building — all with three bays and bracket sets between outer eaves beams. A street-facing fence once stood here, but only the stone pillars remain today.

The main hall has a flush gable roof, with a curved awning roof attached at the rear. It is 11 meters wide and 14 meters deep with seven purlins. The beams are of the flat-style type, and there is a single-aroma rafter veranda at the front, and a boat-shed style veranda at the back. The two side walls of the lower floor of the hall house seven stone stelae erected in the sixth year of the Daoguang reign (1826), including the Stele Record of Wang’s Charitable Manor by Lu Yuanshu, the Official Document on Wang’s Charitable Fields from the Jiangsu Provincial Administration Commissioner, and the Stele Record on the Relocation of the Wang Clan Ancestral Hall to Wu and the Establishment of Charitable Fields.

Wang's Charitable Manor has now been restored to its original appearance. The main hall has a flush gable roof in the front and a curved awning roof with attached sections at the rear, featuring flat-style beams and front and rear projecting verandas. The two side walls of the lower floor contain a total of seven stone stelae, including the "Stele Record of Wang’s Charitable Manor" (calligraphy by Ruan Yuan), the "Official Document on Wang’s Loyal and Charitable Fields from the Jiangsu Provincial Administration Commissioner", and the "Stele Record on the Relocation of the Wang Clan Ancestral Hall to Wu and the Establishment of Charitable Fields".