The Gu Family Residence

The Gu Family Residence

The Gu Family Residence is a cultural relic protection unit of Wenzhou City.

The Gu Family Residence was originally located at No. 11 Gao Ying Lane and served as the ancestral home of Gu Chaohao, a mathematician from Wenzhou. Facing east and situated along a west-east axis, it was a seven-bay, two-courtyard-style traditional residence. It has now been relocated and reconstructed in the northeast corner of Bailuzhou Park. Still oriented west to east, it consists of a gate tower, main house, wing rooms, and courtyard walls, forming a two-courtyard, two-entry compound structure. The front gate tower is embedded into the gatehouse, with its façade recessed inward to create an octagonal screen wall. It is a single-bay, traditional-style brick gate tower. The roof ridge is concealed within the roof of the gatehouse. The gatehouse is a five-bay, single-story structure with a front porch. The central bay features a screen door that serves as a passageway, while the side bays open toward the central one. The exterior façade has windows, while the interior has lattice windows. The central bay has a depth of five columns and ten purlins. It has a grey-tiled roof, a flush gable roof, and a grey water ridge. On either side of the gatehouse are attached rooms, each with four columns and two lean-tos, featuring built-in stone benches. The front courtyard is divided into three sections by decorative walls, with the middle section being larger and featuring a flagstone path. On both sides of the courtyard are three-bay, two-story wing buildings with corridors. A single-flight staircase in the central bay leads to the second floor. The central bay has a depth of five columns. It has a grey-tiled roof, a flush gable roof, and a grey water ridge. The main house is a five-bay, single-story structure with a front porch. The central bay has a depth of seven columns and thirteen purlins. The side bays on the east and west contain hidden compartments. It has a grey-tiled roof, a flush gable roof, and a clear-water ridge. On either side of the main house are one-bay, two-story wing rooms. There is a well in the front courtyard, square in shape. The well curb is made of bluestone slabs, with bluestone pillars at the four corners. The well walls are built with slab stones, and the water is clear and potable. The rear gate tower is located in the southwest corner of the rear courtyard and is embedded into the courtyard wall. It is a single-bay structure without eaves. The Gu Family Residence is a typical example of Qing Dynasty residential architecture in Wenzhou and holds significant value for the study of clan life and architectural craftsmanship in Wenzhou during that period. In April 2000, it was designated as a cultural relic protection unit of Wenzhou City.

Period: Qing Dynasty

Date of designation: April 2, 2000

Category: Historic building

Protected area: Currently, the protected area is defined and controlled by the surrounding walls of the building.