The Xia Family Mansion

The Xia Family Mansion

The Xia Family Mansion is a cultural relic protection unit of Zhejiang Province.

The Xia Family Mansion is located in Wutong Subdistrict, Tongxiang City, dating back to the Qing Dynasty.

The Xia Family Mansion is situated in Xiajiabang, Yongning Community, Wutong Subdistrict, facing south. It is built with a brick-and-wood structure in a courtyard style and currently retains buildings along the central and right routes. The central route includes four courtyards, consisting of an entrance hall, main hall, rear hall, rear building, as well as courtyards and wing rooms. The right route has three courtyards, composed of a tower hall, rear building, rear courtyard auxiliary rooms, etc., covering a land area of 2,590.83 square meters and a construction area of 3,830.11 square meters. The main hall of the central route is a three-bay flat-roofed hall, with the central bay measuring 5.60 meters wide and the side bays 4.4 meters wide. The central bay features raised-beam construction on the east-west axis, with the golden columns resting on inverted-bowl-shaped plinths. The east side bay on the eastern axis and the west side bay on the western axis use through-tenon construction respectively. The architraves are finely carved, and the beams and columns are made of robust materials, reflecting the architectural style of the late Ming Dynasty.

According to folklore, the Xia Family Mansion was the residence of a Ming Dynasty official surnamed Xia. However, due to the lack of biographical records about this Xia official in local historical documents, the exact identity of the owner and the precise construction date of the building remain unverifiable. Judging from the scale and grade of the architecture, the entire mansion is grand in size, rigorously laid out, and of high architectural rank, which aligns with the official status attributed to the owner in local legends.

The Xia Family Mansion is constructed with refined materials and exquisite craftsmanship, exemplifying the architectural characteristics of a typical scholar-official’s residence in the Jiangnan water towns. It holds significant value in terms of history, science, and art. In 2016, it was renovated and opened to the public as the Wupeng Art Institute (Tongxiang Painting and Calligraphy Academy).

On January 13, 2017, it was designated as part of the seventh batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Zhejiang Province by the People's Government of Zhejiang Province.

Wutong Subdistrict: Located at the site of the Tongxiang Municipal Government, Wutong Subdistrict is the political, economic, cultural, and technological center of the city. It borders Gaoqiao Town and Fengming Subdistrict to the south, connects with Shimen Town to the west, links to Puyuan Town and Tudian Town to the east, and lies adjacent to the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal to the north, across which it faces Longxiang Subdistrict.

The transportation here is highly convenient. It is 63 kilometers west of downtown Hangzhou, 138 kilometers east of downtown Shanghai, and 100 kilometers north of Suzhou. National Highway 320 runs through the area, while the Shanghai-Hangzhou Expressway passes to the south, with the Tudian entrance just 8 kilometers away. The Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal traverses the northern edge of the district... More details about Wutong Subdistrict++

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Zhejiang Province