Over ten pawnshops

Yujiapu Pawnshop

Yujiapu Pawnshop is a cultural heritage conservation unit of Jiangsu Province.

Originally named "Lisan Hall," Yujiapu Pawnshop is located in Diandangli, Gucheng Community, Qiandeng Town, Kunshan City. During the Ming Dynasty's Wanli era (1619), Yu Aishan moved from Xiuning County, Anhui Province, to Wujiaqiao in Qiandeng to engage in business. Through two generations of hard work by him and his son, they accumulated wealth and became prosperous. They built a Huizhou-style architectural complex here, with shops and pawnshops along the street, and residential buildings extending further inward. The "Yu Family Pawnshop" was a Huizhou-style architectural complex constructed by Yu Shangde, the second-generation descendant of Yu Aishan, during the Qing Dynasty's Shunzhi era in Qiandeng Town. The Yu residence faces east and sits west, with two parallel rows of buildings. When originally built, there were seven courtyards stretching from east (across the street) to west along the river, of which five remain today. The entire complex includes one Ming Dynasty hall, five smaller halls, six buildings, and double service corridors, forming a large "Ya" character-shaped "horse stables tower" complex in the front, back, left, and right, with over 120 rooms of various sizes. Locals in Qiandeng call it the "Labyrinthine Building." The pawnshop is surrounded by high walls on three sides to ensure the security of the property; at the back is the "watchtower," which could sound the "fifth watch" for theft and fire prevention across the whole town, serving a warning function. Yujiapu Pawnshop combines the architectural art styles of the Huizhou and Suzhou schools from the Ming and Qing periods. It is currently the most completely preserved and largest-scale pawnshop in Jiangsu Province, boasting significant cultural heritage value.

Historical Development:

Listed as a cultural heritage conservation unit of Jiangsu Province in 2006.

Current Condition:

The first courtyard of the Yu Family Pawnshop has shops on the east side, with a four-bay storefront selling tea, sundries, and mountain products, while the west side has four bays functioning as the pawnshop. The first courtyard is the very front section of the entire pawnshop complex and serves as the area for receiving and exchanging pawned items. Above the entrance inside is a brick carving featuring Qing Dynasty characteristics, inscribed with the characters “Ji Shan Yu Qing” (Accumulate Goodness, Receive Blessings). The second courtyard contains the bright hall known as "Lisan Hall," with a crabapple veranda at the front. Between the second and third courtyards is a skywell, which primarily functions to provide lighting and ventilation. The architectural complex uses skywells with the concept of “four waters returning to the hall” as a single unit. The third courtyard is the main hall building, with the upper floor serving as the residence of the owners and the lower floor as the reception hall for esteemed guests. The fourth courtyard is the small hall building, with the upper floor as the living quarters for the younger family members and the lower floor as a dining room. A couplet is hung in the dining room, with the upper line reading “Steamed yellow rice fragrant, green vegetables cooked,” and the lower line “White-haired elders remain loyal at heart.” The fifth courtyard functions as the pawn warehouse, equivalent to a modern storage facility, where all items pawned at the shop are stored.

Further Reading:

· Sixth batch of cultural heritage conservation units of Jiangsu Province