The Yuzhen Hall in Zhenze

Shiqing Hall

Shiqing Hall is a cultural relic protection unit of Suzhou City.

Shiqing Hall is located at No. 186, Dongli Village, Jinting Town (i.e., West Hill Island), Wuzhong District, Suzhou. Constructed during the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty, it currently consists of six individual structures with a total area of about 411.3 square meters, divided into eastern and western sections. The eastern section includes the entrance house, flower hall, and rear auxiliary rooms; the western section houses the main hall, tower hall, and residential building. These are interconnected by service alleys, while individual courtyards are separated by partition walls and enclosed courtyards, forming independent units. The flower hall has a width of three bays, with an interior spanning five bays featuring front and rear verandas and a returned ceiling structure, creating a “triple-veranda linked” layout. Its compact structure showcases exquisite curves.

Notably, on the brick-carved gate tower plaque in the front courtyard’s east side, there is an inscribed year marking “Qianlong Yichou Mengqiu,” corresponding to the year 1745 AD—this serves as the definitive construction date of the hall.

The main hall spans three bays in width and adopts an interior structure of four bays with a front veranda and double rear steps. The hall's beams, beam pads, rafter ends, spandrels, bracket sets, and caisson ceilings are all exquisitely crafted and richly decorated, demonstrating a high level of artistic value.

In 2009, Shiqing Hall was designated by the municipal government as part of the sixth batch of Suzhou Cultural Relic Protection Units.