Xizhai Bieye (Xizhai Ancestral Manor)

Xizhai Bieye

Xizhai Bieye (No. 21 Fujing Street)

Located to the east of the Tongzhi Government Office, it was originally built during the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty (1573–1620). The residence faces south toward the river, has five courtyards still in existence, covering a land area of 2,153.52 square meters and a built-up area of 1,282.68 square meters. On September 6, 1986 [Tongzhen (86) No. 64], it was designated as a Cultural Relics Control Unit of Tongli Town. On July 29, 1994 [Wu Zhengban [1994] No. 75], it was listed as a Cultural Relics Control Unit of Wujiang City.

Xizhai Bieye was the residence of Gu Zizhi, a successful candidate in the imperial examination of the year Renchen (1592) during the Ming Dynasty and later an official in the Jiangxi Military Defense Circuit. It was expanded and renovated during the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1662–1722). The original manor had seven courtyards and 99 rooms. Its second courtyard, a five-bay main hall, was demolished in 1958 due to being a dangerous structure, leaving behind an open space. The backyard garden was called “Yuyuan” (Garden of Folly), commonly known as “Gu Family Garden.” Around the 1960s, it was turned into a vegetable plot by the local neighborhood committee. During the Cultural Revolution, the garden was destroyed to build houses, and no trace of it remains. Most parts of Xizhai Bieye are now used as residential units managed by the housing authority.

Xizhai Bieye faces south and is built along the river. The entrance hall is a five-bay single-story building, part of the original structure that features dougong (bracket sets). The second courtyard is now an open space. The next four courtyards are all multi-story buildings, with carved partition screens inside. In the fourth courtyard, there is a brick-carved gate tower from the 33rd year of the Kangxi reign (1694), which is well preserved. It bears the inscription “Diyie Lianfang” (Flowers of the Pear Tree Bloom Together in Fragrance), with a finely crafted brick relief sculpture on each end. The sides of the gate tower are trimmed with delicate brick carvings of lotus petals, while the adjacent eight-character walls are clad with polished square bricks and topped with eaves to guide rainwater. The final courtyard is a three-bay multi-story building, likely added later as it is not aligned with the central axis. The entire residence has a one-meter-wide service alley on the east side, running from north to south. To the east of the alley are 30–40 irregular single-story and multi-story buildings that form no coherent structure, apparently added over time by the descendants of the Gu family. Although most of the rooms have been renovated or modified, the overall architectural style is clearly indicative of the late Ming and early Qing periods.

Jin Huangzhong, a literatus from the late Qing Dynasty, composed a poem about Xizhai Bieye in his collection Sangzi Ji, which reads: “A legacy of virtuous governance follows the town’s sages; True virtue begins with brotherly love. Shi Bai’s unjust imprisonment was righted; The fishing case saw justice served at Lihai. The western hall echoes tales of old; The eastern kitchen still steams with tradition. I inscribe this with deep emotion, Not seeking fame or lasting name.”