Colorful Clothes Hall

Colorful Clothes Hall

Colorful Clothes Hall is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Colorful Clothes Hall is located at No. 2 Wengjia Lane in Changshu City.

The Former Residence of the Weng Family (Colorful Clothes Hall) is the largest Ming and Qing dynasty official residence in the Changshu area. During the Ming dynasty's Chenghua and Hongzhi eras, the property belonged to the prominent local Sang family and was called "Sen Gui Hall." In the Longqing and Wanli periods, it was owned by the Shaowu Prefect and housed Yan Shu, a master of the guqin. In the 13th year of the Qing dynasty's Daoguang reign (1833), Grand Secretary Weng Xincun purchased the property from the Zhong family and renamed it Colorful Clothes Hall. His son—Weng Tonghe, who served as an imperial tutor during the Tongzhi and Guangxu reigns—spent his childhood here.

The central axis of the Weng family residence consists of seven courtyards, with the third courtyard hall being the main structure, "Colorful Clothes Hall." The hall has three bays, a flush-gable roof with five ridges, a five-beam structure, and a nine-rafter front and rear corridor. The entire building is tall and spacious, built with robust materials. Its interior structure and painted sculptures are exquisitely crafted, showcasing distinct Ming dynasty architectural features. The hall’s painted decorations are finely executed, rich in content, with simple yet elegant patterns and muted colors, making it an outstanding example of the traditional "bao fu" painted art of southern China.

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Fourth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units