The Lu Residence Complex

The Lu Residence Complex

The Lu Residence Complex is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Dongyang Lu Residence, officially known as the Ming and Qing Dynasties Ancient Architectural Complex of the Lu Residence, is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit. Located outside the eastern gate of Dongyang County in Zhejiang Province, the Lu Residence was built between the seventh year of the Jingtai era (1456) and the sixth year of the Tianshun era (1462) during the Ming Dynasty, and was continually expanded into a large-scale residential complex. The entire residence covers an area of approximately 5 hectares and is composed of more than ten courtyard groups arranged along a north-south axis. The main axis runs through a screen wall, passes three stone memorial archways, then turns toward the Suyong Hall, the Leshou Hall, and ends at the Shiyong Hall. The residence is surrounded by rivers, with connections to the interior facilitated by nine bridges. The main road in front of the residence leads westward to the eastern gate of Dongyang City. The numerous memorial archways at the entrance indicate that this was the residential compound of a family that produced generations of officials.

The Suyong Hall is the main hall of the entire residence, and its layout resembles that of the Confucius Mansion in Qufu. It features two sets of gate rooms in the front, with east and west wing rooms on either side of the hall. The Suyong Hall has a T-shaped floor plan, with a connecting corridor linking the front and rear halls into one integrated space. Originally, the front hall had a hip-and-gable roof, but although it was later changed to a gable-and-hip roof with overhanging eaves, the wooden framework inside still retains the turning angles of a hip-and-gable design, and the bracket sets are also very elaborate. According to Ming Dynasty regulations, officials' residences were not permitted to have hip-and-gable roofs. Therefore, was the modification of the roof of the Suyong Hall’s front hall a remedial measure taken by the owner to avoid the charge of “exceeding regulations”? This phenomenon is quite rare among Ming Dynasty residences.

The Lu Residence consists of thousands of rooms, with over 20 buildings dating from the Jingtai era of the Ming Dynasty to the early years of the Republic of China still extant. The architectural complex is surrounded by water on three sides and faces the Brush Rack Mountain to the south. The Ya Stream flows around it, and a cobblestone-paved street runs east-west. The Suyong Hall lies along the main axis, with parallel groups of buildings such as the Shide Hall, the Dafu Mansion, the Shijin Qi Mansion, the Wutai Hall, the Zhushi Mansion, the Wuyun Hall, and the Bingyu Hall. There are also the Lu Family Ancestral Hall, the Shanshing Hall, the Jiahui Hall, the Xianchen Hall, the Shude Hall, and other structures.

The Suyong Hall axis is the main architectural line, consisting of nine sections in sequence: the Victory Report Gate, the National Glory Gate, the Suyong Hall Main Hall, the Suyong Main Hall, the Leshou Hall, the Shiyong Gate Tower, the Shiyong Hall, the Central Hall, and the Rear Building.

East side: Parallel to it is the Xide Hall axis (in sequence: the Xiangyu Hall, the Jiahui Hall, the Xide Rear Hall, and the Xide Upper Hall, totaling four sections).

The Shude Hall axis (in sequence: the Shude Front Hall, the Middle Hall, and the Rear Building, totaling three sections), and the Dongyin Hall of the Dafu Mansion.

The Rear Daya Hall axis (now the Shanshing Hall and the Xiangxu Hall, two sections), and the Airi Hall.

West side: Adjacent to the Ceremonial Gate is the Cunyi Hall, and parallel to it is the Zhongshijin Mansion’s Zhongxiao Hall. On the southern side facing the street are the East and West Lotus Pavilion Academies, the Bingyu Hall, covering a total area of 25,000 square meters.

The Suyong Hall is the public hall of the Lu clan, constructed between the seventh year of the Jingtai era (1456) and the sixth year of the Tianshun era (1465). It is three bays wide, with side chambers on both sides, and ten bays deep with interlocking roof structures. The front eaves feature bracket sets with dense, intricately carved patterns, and the lower eaves are adorned with brackets and carvings. The upper eaves showcase elaborate brackets and decorative motifs. The central bay does not use a central pillar, allowing for an open and spacious interior. The hall’s carved beams and painted rafters display a wide array of traditional Dongyang wood carvings and painted designs. The Suyong Hall’s layout is strict, symmetrical, and well-organized, making it an outstanding example of ancient Chinese architecture.

The lanterns in the Suyong Hall originated in the Ming Dynasty and flourished in the Qing Dynasty—featuring all types of lanterns described in Dream of the Red Chamber. One particularly magnificent and elegant hall lantern still exists here: beneath its canopy, three large lamps made of sheepskin, glass silk, and horn are stacked vertically, surrounded by six strands of 24 small horn lamps and beaded basket lamps. This grand hall lantern stands 4.5 meters tall, weighs 255 jin (approximately 127.5 kg), and is strung with 400,000 colorful glass beads. It has been recorded in the Guinness World Records.

The Lu Residence has been praised by ancient architecture experts as having “international-level Oriental residential design.” In January 1988, it was declared a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit by the State Council. In 2005, the World Monuments Fund in New York announced the 2006 World Monuments Watch List of 100 Most Endangered Sites, which included six sites from China: the Ancient Pagoda Complex in Tianshui, Gansu; the Jiming Post in Huailai, Hebei; the ancient villages of Qikou Town in Shanxi; Tuan Shan in Yunnan; the Stone Forests in Sichuan and Tibet; and the Lu Residence in Dongyang, Zhejiang.

Source: Jinhua Government Website