The Houshi Xu Family Residence

The Houshi Xu Family Residence

The Houshi Xu Family Residence is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Zhejiang Province.

The Xu Family Residence is located on Jiefang Street, Dinghai District, Zhoushan City, Zhejiang Province. It is a typical late Qing Dynasty building. The old house faces south and covers an area of 1,570 square meters. Constructed in the 8th year of the Republic of China (1919), it was a large residence built in a blend of Chinese and Western styles by the Xu brothers, merchants based in Shanghai, in their hometown. In 2003, the Xu Family Residence was designated as a district-level cultural heritage site in Dinghai.

The buildings within the compound have a distinctive style. There are four sections arranged separately: the first section is a two-story building, the second is a single-story structure, while the third and fourth sections feature single-story buildings on the east side and multi-story ones on the west. The spaces between the houses are paved with large square flagstones. To the west of the residence lies a garden hall, along with a Xu family ancestral temple. The entire compound is enclosed by high walls, with pathways connecting the various sections. Each section has its own courtyard. The architecture features double-eaved, flush-gable roofs, post-and-lintel construction, and seven rafters. The compound incorporates advanced Western concepts such as drainage and sanitary ventilation systems — for example, there are air vents over two meters high designed specifically to prevent moisture under the flooring, which was quite “cutting-edge” for Dinghai at the time. The old house, all white in color, has a somewhat otherworldly charm. Passing through the rustic walls of the ancient residence, the noise of the outside world seems to vanish in an instant.

The names of the builders of the Xu Family Residence are no longer known. Legend has it that the Xu brothers made their fortune through business in the Shanghai area and returned to their hometown in glory. They chose a piece of farmland in front of the Zhu family’s old residence and built the current large residence. After the Xu family compound was completed, the Xu ancestors returned to the place where they had made their fortune and left the residence for clan members to live in. At the time, the Xu residence covered the largest area of any single dwelling in Dinghai, spanning over six acres. It was divided into eastern and western courtyards, and included a dedicated kitchen and servant quarters. The site currently occupied by the city highway bureau building was once the garden of the Xu family’s eastern courtyard, while what remains today is the ancestral hall of the eastern courtyard — its grand and solemn style reminiscent of the large halls seen in films about the Republican era.

Most of the Xu descendants have gone abroad, and few return to their ancestral home. Among the Xu family, Grandma Shi remembers most vividly Xu Shuibao, the grandson of the Xu family. At the time, Xu Shuibao had returned from military service and lived in the old Xu residence for a while. Back then, Grandma Shi and Xu Shuibao were both neighborhood group leaders and shared a close friendship. Later, Xu Shuibao went to Shanghai to work as a doctor and never returned to the old house. It is said he passed away more than 20 years ago. In Grandma Shi’s memory, Xu Shuibao was tall, slightly overweight, spoke gently, and was warm and hospitable. Time flies, and the once close-knit Xu family is now scattered across the world, while the grand old Xu residence has also changed ownership. Yet the old house still stands like a wise and gentle elder, bearing witness to the changes of the times and preserving memories of the past.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Cultural Heritage Sites Protected at the Provincial Level in Zhejiang Province