Hundred Rooms Building Complex

Hundred Rooms Building Complex

The Hundred Rooms Building Complex is the most well-preserved riverside residential area that retains its traditional appearance to this day. Stretching over 400 meters in length, it has a history of more than 400 years.

Located on the northeastern side of the town, it was built along both the east and west banks of the old canal. Legend has it that it was constructed by Dong Fen, a Ming Dynasty Minister of Rites, as residences for his servants and maids. Initially, there were about a hundred buildings, hence the name “Hundred Rooms,” which has been preserved to this day.

The entire street features rows of connected houses with adjacent walls. Its distinctive feature is the riverside buildings, with the winding river connected by stone bridges. The buildings are traditional with black tiles and white walls, forming a long covered street with light and airy arched gateways.

Between the houses, the gables rise high—some shaped like cloud heads, some like Guanyin hoods, and others like three-tiered horse-head walls. They vary in height, creating a pattern of black walls and tiles. Under the black tiles of the riverside houses, there are lattice windows, with many ground-floor eaves adding another layer of black tiles. Below that are the corridors along the riverbanks, light and airy, exuding the charm of traditional water town residences.

The most densely concentrated section of houses stretches from Lotus Bridge on the east bank to Long Bridge. The houses are relatively uniform and densely packed along the riverbank. White walls, blue tiles, corridors, river docks, floral-patterned walls, arched doors, eaves, flowing river water, and passing boats present a typical scene of the unique scenery of the Jiangnan water towns.

The west bank suffered severe damage from Japanese military aircraft bombings in the 1940s. Despite several restorations, it still falls short of its former glory.

The original Hundred Rooms canal was part of the Grand Canal. Goods transported to and from Huzhou, Wuzhen, Suzhou, and Nanxun all passed through this river. After the Yuan Dynasty built the city wall, this section became part of the moat. Most structures along the river were warehouses and shops, with neat stone embankments built along the shore. Mooring posts stood densely for loading and unloading goods. The riverside was lined with a long street, and most of the buildings along the street had shops in the front and residences in the back. Wealthy families typically had homes with three or four courtyards, while ordinary households usually had two-courtyard homes centered around a single courtyard.

Nanxun Town: Nanxun is a prosperous and culturally rich ancient water town in the Jiangnan region. Its geographical coordinates are between 120°25’–120°26’ east longitude and 30°52’–30°53’20” north latitude. It is located on the shores of Taihu Lake, bordering Suzhou, and serves as the eastern gateway for Huzhou connecting to Shanghai’s Pudong. The Changhu-Shen railway line and National Highway 318 run through the town, offering superior geographical conditions and convenient water and land transportation. The town covers a total area of 141.3 square kilometers, governs 51 administrative villages and 10 residential communities, with a total population of 116,000 and cultivated land area of 122,500 mu. In 2000... More detailed information about Nanxun Town++