Huatang Ancient Village (Ancestral Home of Wang Xizhi’s Descendants)

Huatang Ancient Village (Ancestral Home of Wang Xizhi’s Descendants)

Located east of Shengzhou city proper, Huatang Village is the settlement of the Wang clan, direct descendants of the great Eastern Jin calligrapher Wang Xizhi. In ancient times, it served as a distribution hub for agricultural and sideline products from areas such as Xinchang and Ningbo.

Huatang Ancient Village (Ancestral Home of Wang Xizhi’s Descendants))

Huatang Village was first established during the Southern Song Dynasty. According to the *Jinting Wang Clan Genealogy*, Wang Kai, the 29th-generation descendant of Wang Xizhi, had already built a residence on Woniushan (now south of Huatang Village) during the Southern Song period. His 33rd-generation descendant, Wang Mai (also known as Lan Shi), began constructing spacious residences between the Zhizheng and Dade eras of the Yuan Dynasty (1264–1310). The *Epitaph of Wang Gong, a Retired Scholar of Xigu from the Ming Dynasty*, written by Feng Yi, a Ming Dynasty military officer and instructor at the Prince of Qin’s Mansion, states: “My ancestor, Elder Lan Shi, once built a house on the sunny side of Nishan Mountain. It was extremely grand and magnificent, and people called it Huatang.” This marks the origin of the village’s name, which has endured for over 700 years.

The western part of the village was once the main thoroughfare in and out of Huatang, known as the “Official Road.” Two imposing watchtowers still stand tall. The village’s Qianjie (Front Street) and Houjie (Back Street) are lined with shops on both sides, many of which retain their historic appearance.

The village preserves a large and diverse complex of ancient architecture, including temples, nunneries, ancestral halls, residences, memorial archways, bridges, watchtowers, ponds, wells, and irrigation channels. The main architectural complex consists primarily of ancestral halls, gated residences, nunneries, and commercial buildings that combine storefronts with living quarters. The theater stage and shrine form the center of the village’s commercial and cultural activities. Most of the existing buildings in Huatang Village were constructed during the Ming and Qing dynasties, predominantly as siheyuan (courtyard houses) or sanheyuan (three-sided courtyard houses), mostly facing east or south and arranged in an orderly fashion. The layout emphasizes central symmetry, with relatively narrow facades and side rooms on either side, and a depth of one to three bays.

The buildings are solemn and elegant, featuring gray brick walls, black tiles, white plaster, and flush gable roofs. Most are two-story structures, often adorned with fireproof walls. The structure is simple yet sturdy, with beams and columns using the post-and-lintel system. Interior decorations are refined, with many doors and windows featuring decorative lattice patterns, and the upper, middle, and lower decorative panels carved with floral designs. The ground floors of street-facing buildings often have boat-shaped ceilings, while the columns are adorned with intricately carved bracket arms, giving the buildings a delicate and refined appearance. There are still 55 old gated residences, among which 30 larger, more exquisitely built, and well-preserved ones include Yiqingtang, Shangqingtang, and the former residence of Zhou Yan.

The most striking feature in the village is the Wang Family Ancestral Hall, built during the Zhengde era of the Ming Dynasty and still well-preserved today. There are two ancient ponds inside and outside the hall, facing each other. The pond inside the hall offers the most scenic view, with carved railings, stone bridges, pavilions, floating duckweed, and swimming fish, all evoking a strong sense of antiquity. Other notable structures within the hall include the Filial Piety and Chastity Hall and the Seven-Bay Main Hall, which are open to visitors.

Location

Jinting Town, Shengzhou City, Zhejiang Province