The Zhou Family’s Old Western-Style Building

The Zhou Family’s Old Western-Style Building

The Zhou Family’s Old Western-Style Building is a cultural heritage site protected by Yuyao Municipal Government.

The Zhou Family’s Old Western-Style Building is located at No. 7 Datang Road, Mingfeng Natural Village, Shuige Zhou Village, Simen Town, Yuyao City. Facing south, it features a brick-carved gate, a main building, two wing rooms, and is enclosed by high walls to the south. These walls are adorned with then-fashionable stained-glass windows and iron-barred windows. Its layout resembles the traditional "Yi Yin" style common in Yunnan.

The main building has a single-eave gable-and-hip roof, with balconies at the front and rear. It has three bays, with a raised-beam framework consisting of five pillars and nine purlins. Each of the two wing rooms has one bay, also using a raised-beam structure, with two pillars and five purlins.

The Zhou Family’s Old Western-Style Building is a traditional Chinese courtyard house that incorporates many Western architectural elements, reflecting the “Chinese essence with Western application” architectural philosophy of the period, as well as the spirit of Ningbo-Shaoxing merchants who honored tradition while embracing innovation.

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

Simen Town: [Geographical Features] Simen Town is located in the northwest of the city, about 23 kilometers from downtown. In ancient times, it was also known as Simen or the Fourth Gate. The southwestern part of the area originally had the Ruchou Lake, which covered an area of 100,000 mu. Four gates were opened on the eastern embankment of Ruchou Lake to facilitate water release for irrigation. Since four outlets of water were called “Si” (泗), the place came to be known as Simen. The town covers an area of 66.3 square kilometers, bordering Xiaocao’e Town and Langxia Subdistrict to the east, Mazhu Town to the south, Linshan Town to the west, and facing Hangzhou Bay to the north, across which lies Haiyan County. It administers Dongpu, Zhennan, Shangxinwu, Hainan, Zhenbei, Sibei, Taojialu, Wansheng, Xianggongtan, Xiejialu, Jiatang, Xiaoluxia, Hubei, Lianshu... For more details about Simen Town ++

Further Reading:

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