Gengxiang Hall

Gengxiang Hall

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

Gengxiang Hall is located at No. 42 Huashantou, Zhenze Town, and was built in the early years of the Republic of China. The owner of Gengxiang Hall was Qiu Fuqing, one of the four major landlords in the Zhenze area. A native of Badu and styled Qingyang, Qiu was nicknamed “Qiu Yaoming” (Qiu the Deathbringer) by local farmers. The other three landlords were nicknamed “Dong the Muscle-Drawer,” “Xiao the Skin-Peeler,” and “Gu the Heart-Digger.”

In the early years after liberation, Qiu Fuqing was among the first group of landlords to be “suppressed” by the government, and his properties and lands were confiscated. Gengxiang Hall was then repurposed as the office of the Zhenze Township (later Commune) government, and later served as the local radio and television station, cultural center, and library.

Gengxiang Hall has a width of four bays — that is, a main hall of three bays plus one wing room on the east side. On the west side of the hall, there are two floors above two floors, which are connected to the main structure. The total floor area is 1,007.6 square meters. Externally, Gengxiang Hall is designed as a Western-style building, with a three-story attic on the main structure. The platform on the upper floor of the east wing room features a water tank, while the interior includes a bathroom equipped with a fireplace. The interior structure is traditionally built with brick and wood. The lower floor features long windows at the front of the hall, with screen doors at the back, and square bricks paving the ground. There is a flagstone-paved courtyard in front of the hall, within which stands a brick-carved gate tower. The beams, brackets, and other architectural elements inside the hall are covered with exquisitely carved designs, particularly those depicting scenes from the classic novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which are remarkably lifelike and vividly expressive.