Dongzha, Wuzhen: Xia Tongshan’s Hanlin Mansion

Dongzha, Wuzhen: Xia Tongshan’s Hanlin Mansion

Xia Tongshan’s Hanlin Mansion is located on Guanhou Street in the central market area. Though not large in scale, it fortunately retains a complete set of structures. After renovation, it has become a culturally rich attraction that blends traditional residences with gardens, offering visitors a glimpse into the lifestyle of affluent families in Jiangnan towns during the late Qing Dynasty.

The renovated Hanlin Mansion largely follows the original layout and can be divided into three parts.

Along the main axis, there are three halls across three courtyards. In front of the main gate stand a pair of marble roller stones, signifying the prominence of the Xiao family. Upon entering the first gate through the foyer, you’ll see a horizontal beam inscribed with “Dingdong,” which consists of five carved short wooden pieces. The threshold is unusually high and difficult to step over, but the middle section can be removed—it’s called the “virtue threshold.” The main gate is usually kept closed, and visitors enter and exit through the side doors. Further inside is the third gate, known as the head-wall gate. Passing through this gate leads to a small stone-paved courtyard. This is the first courtyard. Crossing the courtyard brings you to the main hall, which is the second courtyard.

The main hall is a flat-roofed hall, with beams holding two large red lacquered boxes adorned with gold, which enshrine imperial edicts and honors. Adjacent to the back are two-story wing rooms connected by a corridor along the wall. This structure is rare elsewhere, likely due to the constrained foundation. Further inside, past the second wall gate, is the third courtyard’s rear small tower hall.

The east wing consists of two rooms across two courtyards, including a kitchen and a yard, with an ordinary style—it was where servants lived. The west wing, adjacent to the foyer, features three ornate and lavishly decorated flower halls, also known as the “Official-Reception Hall.” Beyond the flower hall lies a courtyard with rockeries, a pond, and seasonal flowers and exotic trees—small, elegant, and quite lovely. This is the “Xiao Family Garden.” Further in are another main hall and rear tower hall, which served as spaces for the Xia family to receive guests, live, relax, read, and entertain.

The Xia family’s Hanlin Mansion was originally an ordinary residence with limited land. It wasn’t until Xia Tongshan was appointed as a Hanlin scholar and awarded the plaque “Hanlin Mansion” that the residence could be expanded and attain some scale. The story of the Xia family and the Hanlin Mansion is one of “studying well leads to officialdom,” thereby bringing honor to the family and hometown—but it is a true part of Wuzhen’s history and a source of pride among its people.

Address: Inside the East Scenic Zone, Wuzhen, Tongxiang City, Jiaxing

Type: Historical site / Historic architecture

Recommended visiting time: 0.5 hours

Ticket information:

No separate ticket required. Admission is included in the East Scenic Zone ticket: 100 RMB for East Zone only, or 150 RMB for a combined East and West Zone pass.