Hongshoutang

Hongshoutang

A Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Heritage Site, located at No. 3 Hongshou Lane, Hujing Street, Lili Town, Wujiang District, Suzhou City. It is a Ming Dynasty structure, originally the former residence of Zhou Wangtu (courtesy name Wenhe, a tribute student skilled in poetry and prose, author of "Xie Xin Ji" and "Di Yan Zhai Shi Cao"), a cousin of Zhou Yuanli, Minister of Works during the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty. The residence has seven courtyards, five of which remain today.

The third courtyard of Hongshoutang is a flat-roofed hall with three bays and covers a construction area of 171 square meters. According to town records, the other courtyards of Hongshoutang were newly built or renovated by the Zhou family, but it is unclear whether the third courtyard had undergone any renovation.

In 1981, during a cultural relics survey in Lili Town, experts from the Nanjing Museum were specially invited to assess the site. After examining elements such as the eaves, beams, as well as carvings featuring “official promotion wings” and cloud motifs, they concluded that Hongshoutang dates back to the mid-Ming Dynasty.

Further reading:

· Seventh batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Heritage Sites