Houren Houxia Hall

Houren Houxia Hall

Houren Houxia Hall is a Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Houren Houxia Hall is located in Shizhu Town, Yongkang City, dating back to the Ming Dynasty.

Houxia Hall is situated in Houren Village, Shizhu Town, Yongkang City. It was built by Songchuan Gong (courtesy name Yongzhang), the eighth-generation ancestor of the Li family of Houren, and has a history of nearly 500 years. It is the only remaining ancient Ming Dynasty residence in Yongkang, notable for its grand scale, intact structure, and rational layout. The entire building occupies nearly a thousand square meters and at its peak once housed over a hundred people simultaneously.

Houren Village was historically known as Bitan’s Riverside. It is said that its founding ancestor, Hui Gong, relocated here in 1304, drawn by the surrounding streams and open flat terrain. Today, Houren Village has a population of over 1,300, with most residents surnamed Li. This historic ancient village once boasted a wealth of ancient architecture, including one ancestral temple, four ancient halls, five ancient wells, two ancient bridges, and two ancient pavilions... all arranged in an orderly, dense yet well-spaced layout. Nowadays, the Li Family Ancestral Temple, originally built in 1506, has been restored and repurposed as a cultural auditorium, showcasing the village's historical culture and preserving family memories. Of the village’s four ancient halls, only Houxia Hall remains, and its eastern wing room has long been destroyed by fire. Yet, from its relatively well-preserved main hall and western wing room, the former elegance and grandeur of this large residence can still be discerned.

Houxia Hall features a three-bay, three-section layout resembling a nine-grid pattern. It faces south with entrances on both the north and south sides leading outside, plus four additional outer doors at the corners, commonly referred to as the “Four Thousand Doors.” Standing before the main entrance, the inscriptions on the stone lintels are no longer legible. All that can be seen are the grey bricks, dark tiles, upturned eaves, and enclosed corridors — exuding an air of simplicity, solemnity, and a touch of mystery.

Behind the tea pavilion lies the central hall, flanked by side rooms. In front of these rooms is a pond, with side doors nearby. Further inside is a large central courtyard that connects to the “Incense Hearth Room” in the rear hall. Both the rear hall and the side rooms of the central hall have upper floors, with double eaves above the corridors below. The construction elements — walls, ridges, pavilions, doors, floors, brackets, and arches — are not heavily ornamented. Though austere and substantial, they still carry deep cultural significance.

The wing rooms of Houxia Hall are quite magnificent. Originally symmetrical on the east and west sides, spanning two stories with three staircases connecting them, each side had 12 rooms, totaling 24 rooms — symbolizing the 12 months of the year and the 24 solar terms. The windows and doors of each room face the main hall, with corridors below, forming two elongated courtyards between the rooms and the hall. Walking on the bluestone-paved path, sunlight slants across the carved windows and doors of the western wing room, casting dappled patterns indoors. Each exquisite window lattice seems to open a passage of light and warmth through time, sparking the imagination: once upon a time, who gathered around the heated kang bed by the window to discuss matters, who carved colorful paper-cut window decorations on the Eight Immortals table, who leaned by the door gazing at the moon missing a loved one... As the sun rises and sets, time passes. Through wind, frost, rain, and snow, faces change. The accumulated stories grow ever longer, brewing endless nostalgia.

On January 13, 2017, the People’s Government of Zhejiang Province listed it as part of the Seventh Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Houren Village: Houren Village... More details about Houren Village++

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units