Vernacular architecture of Houwu Village

Vernacular architecture of Houwu Village

The vernacular architecture of Houwu Village is a cultural heritage site protected by Zhejiang Province.

Houwu Village is located at the southern end of Yongkang City, bordering Jinyun County. It houses the largest ancient architectural complex in Yongkang’s rural areas, with nearly 100 halls, residential buildings, and refined cottages from the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties still extant, totaling over 1,000 rooms. The village is also home to Yongkang’s earliest-established primary school and a village-level Wu Opera troupe with a history of over a century.

The “Wu Yiting Ancestral Hall” in the village is grand in scale. Originally built during the Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty, the building features exquisitely carved floors and rooms. Although now somewhat dilapidated, it still retains traces of its former glory and magnificence.

The original “Wu Clan Ancestral Hall,” after renovation, was renamed “Wu Ancestral Hall.” Throughout centuries, the “upright official” has been a deeply rooted idol of reverence among the Chinese people. The public’s admiration for “upright officials” goes beyond imagination. The “upright official culture” of Houwu can be said to run through its entire historical development. The “Wu Clan Ancestral Hall” not only boasts an imposing and magnificent structure with exquisite wood carvings but also includes the four characters “Loyalty, Filial Piety, Chastity, and Integrity” in the hall, which summarize the “spiritual backbone” of the literati of old. These are both ancestral teachings for descendants and masterpieces of calligraphic art.

Public structures include ancient post roads, ponds, canals, wells, bridges, and the Hutong Pagoda. The most famous is the “Locust Well Sweet Spring,” one of the “Eight Scenic Spots of the Home” in ancient Houwu Village. This octagonal ancient well on the old commercial street is said to be as old as the village itself. The well’s rim is inscribed with the characters “Liquan Well” (Sweet Spring Well), and the water is so clear it serves as a mirror. In the 11th year of the Xianfeng reign of the Qing Dynasty (1851), Wu Tingkang, the county magistrate of Yongkang, visited the village for leisure and threw a small stone into the well. The sound that echoed back was particularly resonant, lingering with a clear tone before gradually fading. He remarked, “It deserves the name Hongzhong (Great Bell).”

Commercial buildings include shops, pharmacies, teahouses, and workshops. Tongrentang is one of the important ones, with the brush-written characters of the old brand still visible. The building is small yet exquisitely crafted.

Ancestral hall architecture is one of the highlights of ancient Houwu Village. There are seven large and small ancestral halls still in existence: Wu Clan Ancestral Hall, Wu Yiting Ancestral Hall, Xiangyang Ancestral Hall, Lishan Ancestral Hall, Chengyi Ancestral Hall, Jufen Ancestral Hall, and Dezhong Ancestral Hall. Others, such as Weijiu Ancestral Hall, Shuangyu Ancestral Hall, Yicheng Ancestral Hall, and Yingmin Ancestral Hall, were destroyed in the mid-to-late 20th century. These majestic ancestral hall buildings reflect the continuous emergence of talent, cultural prosperity, and economic flourishing in Houwu throughout its history.

The main ancestral hall, Wu Clan Ancestral Hall, was originally built in the 36th year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty (1547 AD). Apart from the floral brick gate tower, which dates back to the original construction, the rest were rebuilt during the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty on the ruins left after being burned down by the Taiping Army. The ancestral hall has three courtyards in total, grand in scale and magnificent in appearance. Originally, there were six towering bluestone memorial archways in front of the open space facing the pond, all of which were demolished during the Cultural Revolution, with some remnants still scattered inside the hall. The entrance hall has three bays, with drum stones, flagpole pedestals, and flagstone bases outside, and ink inscriptions such as “Literary Strategy” and “Martial Valor,” along with some ink paintings, on the left and right hipped-gable walls. The central gate is engraved with the characters “Wu Clan Ancestral Hall.” The middle hall, “Xulun Hall,” has five bays, with stone pillars and wooden beams, and a nine-rafter lifting beam structure. Dozens of plaques and a family code hang from the thick horizontal beams, most of which are originals from the Ming and Qing dynasties. The characters “Loyalty, Filial Piety, Integrity, and Chastity” in seal script on the brick walls of the slightly smaller side walls are also rare masterpieces of calligraphy. The rear sleeping quarters consist of seven bays—five bright and two dark—for enshrining the memorial tablets of generations of the Wu ancestors. There are also more than 20 side rooms, similarly adorned with antique plaques.

The halls and refined cottages among the residential buildings are also the essence of ancient Houwu Village. For example, Sima Mansion, built in the 15th year of the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty (1810 AD), was a renowned scholarly and official family of the time, known as the “Weiji Hall.” The building has three courtyards, three skywells, and 29 rooms in total. The entrance is equipped with a double gate, the first of which is a two-pillar, three-story brick-carved gate tower, inscribed with “Sima Mansion” in relief on both sides. The second gate is a round archway, while the third consists of a main and two auxiliary gates, with lintels inscribed in ink with “Gazing Upward at the Stars,” “House of Literature,” and “Forest of Ink,” surrounded by poetry on the eaves. The doors and windows, bracket arms, and other parts of the first and second courtyards feature large-scale wood carvings, including depictions of historical figures, flowers, birds, insects, fish, musical instruments, chess, calligraphy, and painting. The decorative panels are even carved with vivid regular script poems, offering a feast for the eyes.

Houwu Village still preserves many residences from the Ming Dynasty. Among them, the largest, best-preserved, and oldest is Yanqing Hall, built in the 8th year of the Chenghua reign of the Ming Dynasty (1468 AD). It has three courtyards in total, with the front hall’s large wooden structure featuring many early construction methods, such as all columns being spindle-shaped, column capitals with curled killings, and distorted corner brackets. The moon beams are slender and tall, and the beam joints use ding head brackets, cross brackets, purlin brackets, camel humps, and large caps. The eaves feature projecting brackets with distinct petal designs, and the roof has a gentle pitch. The column bases are shaped like ...

In addition to its many ancestral halls, ancient residences, inscribed plaques, and wood carvings, Houwu Ancient Village also boasts rich folk arts. Every year, there are vibrant temple fairs and lantern festivals, as well as folk performances such as Wu Opera, Eighteen Butterflies, Fighting Arhats, stilt walking, and big-headed dolls. Traditional crafts like embroidery, weaving, and blacksmithing are also practiced.

On October 7, 2019, the ancient architectural complex of Houwu Village was included in the eighth batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level.

Houwu Village: Houshi Village is located at the foot of Lishan Mountain in the southern part of Yongkang City. In front of the village stands a majestic green mountain resembling a screen. The village has over 800 households and more than 3,000 residents. The terrain is open and flat, with a verdant screen in front and the meandering Jincreek behind, presenting beautiful scenery and a tranquil environment. With a long history and a tradition of producing exceptional talent, the village has a history of over 770 years since its establishment in the 15th year of the Jiading reign of the Song Dynasty (1222 AD). During this time, many talented individuals have emerged. Among the descendants of the Wu clan were the renowned “Three Wu Chancellors”: Academician of the Dragon Diagram Pavilion Wu Fu, Left Chancellor Wu Jian, and Grand Coordinator Wu Shilai. The continuous emergence of talent has also brought Houshi Village... Detailed information about Houwu Village++

Further reading:

· Sixth Batch of Cultural Heritage Conservation Units in Zhejiang Province

· Eighth Batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level