Shangyang Guangyutang

Shangyang Guangyutang

Shangyang Guangyutang is a cultural relic protection unit of Jinhua City.

Shangyang Guangyutang is located in Shangyang Village, Chian Town, Yiwu City. It dates back to the Ming Dynasty and is classified as an ancient architectural structure. Also known as the Brick Hall, it was built during the Chongzhen era of the Ming Dynasty. The building faces west and covers an area of 493.9 square meters. It features a three-bay, five-story brick memorial archway at the front, resting on a Sumeru pedestal. It is one of the better-preserved Ming Dynasty brick-carved archways in the city, with high cultural relic value. The building has a width of three bays and consists of three sections — front, middle, and rear — connected by a central hall, arranged in a "Wang" character-shaped layout. Both the front and middle sections are open-style halls. The central bay features a five-rafter, double-step beam-frame structure, with sturdy beams and columns that largely retain the architectural style of the Ming Dynasty. The central hall section is a Qing Dynasty construction, while the rear section has been newly renovated. Currently, the hall still houses two Ming Dynasty glass bead filament lamps, which are of high cultural relic value.

The building features a rigorous layout, with carefully selected and robust materials. The brackets, spandrels, and dougong (bracket sets) display exquisite carvings, vividly reflecting the characteristics of the era and serving as an important reference for studying the architectural style of the Ming Dynasty. It holds high historical, scientific, and artistic value.

In June 2006, it was designated as a municipal-level cultural relic protection site, and in April 2013, it was announced as a municipal-level cultural relic protection unit. The official announcement document number is Yizhengfa [2013] No. 29, dated April 24, 2013.

Shangyang Village: Strolling through the alleys of Shangyang, beneath your feet are cobblestone-paved paths, before you are houses with blue bricks and black tiles, and in the air is the dust of time. As you wind through the halls and corridors, turning east and west, you’ll often catch a glimpse of the upturned eaves and carved patterns along the beams — their colors faded like aged preserved mustard greens. Villagers say that Shangyang once had 18 halls; one burned down and another collapsed, leaving 16 today. Among them, the oldest hall is 800 years old, a truly astonishing fact. Most houses face south, but the houses in Shangyang uniformly face west, a tradition that has lasted for millennia... More details about Shangyang Village++