Zhengxiu Hall

Zhengxiu Hall

Zhengxiu Hall is a Suzhou Municipal Cultural Heritage Protection Unit.

Zhengxiu Hall is located in Zhenze Town, Wujiang District, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province.

Zhengxiu Hall is situated at No. 13 East Panjiashan Lane. It was built in the 13th year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty (1887) by silk merchant Gu Shaoyi and designed and supervised by Ma Rulong, a master builder from Xiangshan, Wuxian. Gu Shaoyi had four daughters, three of whom married into the Gong family. Later, due to the fire that destroyed the Shensxiu Hall of the Gong family, Gu mortgaged the Zhengxiu Hall’s gate tower and front hall to his son-in-law for 5,000 silver dollars, after which it came under the ownership of the Gong family. (The Gong in question was Gong Zexian, the author’s maternal grandfather.) The third-courtyard tower hall remained part of the Shanggu Hall, the residence of the Gu family.

In 1997, the wooden carved gate tower of Zhengxiu Hall was listed as a Wujin Municipal Cultural Heritage Protection Unit.

Ancient and modern civilian architecture in Zhenze not only emphasized sturdiness and practicality but also placed considerable importance on architectural and decorative aesthetics, enhancing artistic taste. The architectural style is a blend of Wu and Yue influences, even incorporating elements of the Anhui school. Aside from the Sijian, Zhide, and Zhengxiu Halls, the stone bird and beast reliefs on the granite pedestal of the inner storage gate of the Bao Ta Street's former Bimawan Silk & Twine Firm’s Maode Hall, as well as the theatrical wood carvings on the moon beam of the rear gate tower of the Lü Residence at Huashantou, are extremely vivid and possess significant artistic value. Additionally, the crossbeams above the street-facing shopfronts commonly feature wood carvings of varying intricacy and themes. These carvings are ingeniously conceived and skillfully executed, depicting insects, beasts, flowers, birds, and characters such as Sheng, Dan, Jing, Mo, and Chou, all in diverse poses exuding unique charm—so plentiful they dazzle the eye. Even ordinary residences took great care in decoration, such as painting auspicious motifs like the treasure basin, evergreen plant, or writing brush (symbolizing “certainty”) and ruyi (symbolizing “fulfillment”) on the ridge beams of main rooms, rendered in gold and silver inks on a bright red lacquer base, shining brilliantly.

Every brick and stone, beam and pillar, door and window in Zhenze exudes a profound and ancient cultural aura, reflecting as well the economic prosperity of the late Qing dynasty market town.