Dongyang Ancient Residential Buildings

Dongyang Ancient Residential Buildings

There are currently three clusters of ancient residential buildings preserved in Dongyang: the Xincuo Xia Residential Area, the Xi Village Residential Area, and the Menlou Wai Residential Area. The founding ancestor of the Lin family in Dongyang, Lin Jian (Chief Secretary of the Cabinet during the second year of the Tianyou era of the Tang Dynasty, 905), originally came from Putian, Fujian. To escape unrest, he moved to Dong’ao (Xinlou) in Xiaocun, Taishun in the third year of the Tongguang era of the Later Tang Dynasty (925). In the second year of the Jianlong era of the Song Dynasty (961), he relocated again to Shangduan in Sixi (Houchi). When Lin Jian migrated from Putian to Dong’ao in Xiaocun, he had six sons. Later, except for the sixth son, who followed his father from Dong’ao to Sixi, the other five sons remained in Dongyang. The three surviving clusters of ancient residential buildings in Dongyang are historical and cultural legacies left by the descendants of Lin Jian as they grew and developed over time.