Fangkeng Taiyin Palace

Fangkeng Taiyin Palace

Fangkeng Taiyin Palace is a Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Heritage Site.

The stage of Fangkeng Taiyin Palace is located on the rear eaves of the central bay in the front hall of Taiyin Palace in Fangkeng Natural Village, Dongfang Village, Pinghe Township, Wencheng County.

The stage faces south and looks toward the main hall. It has a square floor plan, with a wooden structure mostly adorned with painted decorations, and its stage surface is covered with fir wood planks. Four round wooden columns stand at the corners; the front columns are supported by circular stone bases carved in the shape of auspicious tiger claws, while the rear columns rest on circular drum-shaped stone bases. The front-facing side of the front columns is painted with a couplet: “Laughter on stage, laughter off stage, laughter everywhere, people laughing; Watching the ancients, watching the moderns, watching through time, people watching people.” The rear columns are painted with another couplet: “Humility and grace discern right from wrong; virtue and grace illuminate life.” Two additional round wooden support columns have been added to the front, aiding in supporting the stage surface. Their tops are…, and they rest on circular drum-shaped stone bases. The stage is divided into front and rear sections, with the rear connected to the floor of the front hall via wooden steps. Between the rear columns and the enclosing columns, there is a flying screen. Fixed partition panels are installed between the enclosing columns, dividing the space between the front and rear sections. The decorative panels inside the rails are carved with linear designs, though the central carvings are left unadorned. The central panels feature openwork vine patterns. The stage is surrounded by a railing carved in the style of vines. The tops of the stage columns are painted with floral patterns, and circular column capitals are placed atop them, with architraves spanning the columns below. The architrave is inscribed with “Spring Melodies Played.” Its ends are shaped with roll cuts and painted with theatrical story scenes, and below it water-wave-shaped brackets support the structure. Above the architrave, beams, and enclosing columns, seated brackets project to support the central beam with central melon brackets. The brackets inwardly extend to support the ceiling beam, forming a two-tiered coffered dome. The bracket ears are painted with meander and floral patterns, and the brackets themselves are adorned with floral designs. At the second level, short bracket beams and angled beams form an eight-sided coffered dome, which steps inward through six tiers down to the central mirror. Connecting brackets between the eight-sided dome arches are painted with floral, plum, bamboo, chrysanthemum, and other patterns, all with square cross-sections and arched shapes. The arch bodies are carved with curves, and the arches feature floral, scroll, and meander motifs. Wooden pins secure the area below the arches, carved into the shapes of flower baskets, peaches, and inverted lotuses. The top connecting bracket beam features petal-shaped ends, below which a hanging lattice is installed, with openwork scroll and meander patterns. A cover plate is placed at the center mirror of the dome ceiling, with a round beam fixed on top, engraved with meanders, peach, and floral patterns. The interior walls of the stage are painted with images of foreigners with blonde hair and blue eyes, flowers, brocade patterns, abacuses, teapots, fruits, vegetables, and theatrical stories. Additionally, the words “Scholarly Elegance” are painted on the wall, signed “Written by Her Majesty Empress Dowager Cixi.” Butterfly patterns are painted at the four corners.

The stage columns extend with lotus-shaped hanging columns supporting double-eaved rafters, with the ang parts featuring double downward ang, their heads carved decoratively in the shape of elephant trunks. The tenon ends of the columns are carved in the shape of hemp-leaf decorations. Between the hanging columns, a lattice is installed, with openwork scroll and phoenix patterns, inlaid with blue glass. The stage shares a roof with the front hall, and the side bays each have flat ceiling designs adorned with painted theatrical stories, birds, and flowers. Double flying rafters are used, with their surfaces painted with floral and meander patterns. Outside the rafters, eave boards are installed, painted with floral motifs. The ridge ends are modeled in plaster with fish-dragon designs, and the ridges and roof are decorated with plaster images of the Eight Immortals, the Three Stars of Fortune in the center, as well as meander and scroll patterns. The hip ridges feature plaster phoenixes, theatrical characters, and scroll patterns, while the gable ridges are adorned with theatrical figures and scroll motifs.

The stage is part of Taiyin Palace. The palace was originally built during the Longqing era of the Ming Dynasty, later destroyed by floods, and then reconstructed in the 36th year of the Kangxi reign (1697) and the 6th year of the Xianfeng reign (1856) of the Qing Dynasty. It underwent multiple renovations afterwards, and in the late Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, a private school named “Minde Private School” was established here, enrolling students from Rui’an, Pingyang, and Wencheng, gaining widespread acclaim for its academic atmosphere. In the 16th year of the Republic of China (1927), “Minde Primary School” was founded on the original site, becoming the first primary school in western Rui’an, until 1985 when new school buildings were constructed and the site was returned to the palace. The overall architectural complex of the palace also includes corridors, the front hall, side wings, and the main hall, forming a courtyard-style wooden structure, now well-preserved, with a total area of approximately 1,180 square meters. The palace mainly enshrines Chen Shisanniang, Goddess Ma, and the Three Dragon Kings. In 2006, the Wencheng County People’s Government designated the palace as a county-level cultural heritage site.

On January 13, 2017, the Zhejiang Provincial People’s Government listed it as part of the seventh batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Heritage Sites.

Dongfang Village: General Overview of Dongfang Village

Dongfang Village is located in the southeastern part of the town jurisdiction, along the middle section of Pinghe Stream, a tributary of the Feiyun River, bordering villages such as Pinghe, Meiyangxia, and Tiandong, and is 22 kilometers from the county seat. The village has a long history, numerous cultural relics, and a longstanding tradition of valuing education. It includes county-level cultural heritage sites such as the Qing Dynasty Qianlong-era “Fangkeng Taiyin Palace,” the Tongzhi-era “Weng Family Ancestral Hall,” and the Guangxu-era “Gongshi Mansion,” and is also the village with the highest number of overseas Chinese in the entire town.

The village comprises four natural villages—Fangkeng, Huangshan, Dongkengxia, and Jian shanwei—as well as 14 villager groups, totaling 345… More detailed information about Dongfang Village++

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Heritage Sites