The Former Residence of the Shao Family

The Former Residence of the Shao Family

The Former Residence of the Shao Family is a cultural heritage site protected by Yuyao City.

The Former Residence of the Shao Family is located in Xinshaojia Lane, Lincun Village, Yuyao City. It is a late Qing Dynasty building constructed with brick and wood. The original owner, surnamed Shao, ran a business in Shanghai. Locally, it is referred to as the "New Shao Residence."

The residence faces south and has a grand layout consisting of four courtyards in a row. The front section includes an entrance hall, followed by the main hall. Passing through the ceremonial gate leads to a courtyard enclosed by the rear building and two side wings, with a rear wing room at the back. The entrance hall is a single-story gable-roofed structure with five bays. The central bay features a five-rafter beam frame with single beams in front and back, serving as the main gate wall. The rear main hall is also a single-story gable-roofed structure with five bays. It has a mixed beam frame of through and lifted beams, with six pillars and eight purlins. A front eave corridor is provided, giving it a rather simple appearance. Originally, there were two side rooms in the front, but they have since been demolished and altered. Behind the main hall is a high wall with a ceremonial gate in the center, built entirely of brick. The wall is adorned with richly carved brick ornamentation. The central plaque above the gate reads “Fengshan Xiaozhu” (Phoenix Mountain Cottage). Additional side gates are located on either side of the ceremonial gate. The high wall has lean-to rooms facing north, forming a corridor with the two side wings. The rear building is a single-story gable-roofed structure, relatively tall, with cat-ear gables on both sides. It has five bays, with the two outer bays being independent and featuring traditional double-eaved roofs, while the central three bays have single eaves. The second floor has a corridor, with both upper and lower eave corridors decorated with brackets (dougong) and spandrels (que’er), all intricately carved. The second-floor corridor features a coffered ceiling and square floor tiles. The interior has eight pillars and ten purlins, using a mixed beam frame of through and lifted beams. The doors and windows are all quite exquisite. The side wing rooms are two bays wide, with three-rafter beam frames inside.

The Former Residence of the Shao Family has a regular layout, a large scale, and richly decorated rear courtyards that are quite distinctive, giving it certain architectural and historical value.

On September 23, 2014, the Yuyao Municipal People's Government announced it as part of the sixth batch of municipal-level cultural heritage protection units.

Linshan Town: Located on the southern shore of Hangzhou Bay and northwest of Yuyao, Linshan Town is one of the famous “Three Weis” in eastern Zhejiang. The town covers an area of 49.7 square kilometers, with a coastline of 2.9 kilometers. It governs 10 administrative villages, 1 neighborhood committee, and has a population of over 40,000. Linshan has a subtropical monsoon climate, characterized by distinct seasons, notable monsoons, and mild weather. The average annual temperature ranges from 16.2°C to 16.5°C, with the coldest month (January) averaging between 3.9°C and 4.4°C, and the hottest month (July) averaging between 28.2°C and 28.7°C. The frost-free period lasts 234 to 246 days throughout the year. Lin... More detailed information about Linshan Town++

Further Reading:

· The Sixth Batch of Municipal-Level Cultural Heritage Protection Units in Yuyao City