Xu Family’s Southern Grand House

Xu Family’s Southern Grand House

Xu Family’s Southern Grand House is a cultural relic protection unit of Zhejiang Province.

Xu Family’s Southern Grand House (Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit)

Era: Ming and Qing Dynasties

Announcement Date: March 16, 2005

Main structures include the Southern Grand House, Xu Family Schoolhouse, and Xu Family Ancestral Hall. The Southern Grand House was initially built during the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty by the eldest grandson of the fourth-generation Xu family, Kuí, and expanded in the 29th year of the Guangxu reign in the Qing Dynasty. It faces south and has a rectangular floor plan, with structures arranged along the central axis including the entrance hall, main hall, inner residence, rear building, and rear residence, flanked on both sides by corridors and wing rooms. It covers a total area of 3,116 square meters, with a total floor space of 2,180 square meters. The entrance hall has eleven bays, the main hall has five bays, with the central bay featuring a five-rafter raised-beam structure with single-step extensions front and back, using large timber materials. The rear building, constructed during the 29th year of the Guangxu reign, is a two-story structure with nine bays in width. The rear residence consists of a two-courtyard layout with three bays in width. To the west of the Southern Grand House are the Xu Family Schoolhouse and the Xu Family Ancestral Hall. The Xu Family Schoolhouse was built in the 28th year of the Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty (1848) with two courtyards front and back, side corridors, and served as the study place for Xu family children at the time. The Xu Family Ancestral Hall was first built in the 8th year of the Daoguang reign (1828) and has undergone multiple renovations since. It faces north, covering a total area of 552 square meters, with a total floor space of 245 square meters. It has three bays and three courtyards: the first courtyard includes a kitchen and accounting room, the second houses the worship hall, and the third has a raised platform enshrining ancestral tablets through the generations.

The Xu Family’s Southern Grand House has a complete and rational layout, reflecting the influence of the clan system on traditional rural living environments. With a relatively large scale and well-preserved condition, it holds significant collective value. It provides important physical evidence for the study of architectural characteristics of Jiangnan water towns and local folk culture.

Source: Zhejiang Cultural Relics Website

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units