Vernacular Architecture of XinYe Village

Vernacular Architecture of XinYe Village

The vernacular architecture of XinYe Village is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Era: Ming Dynasty to the Republic of China

Address: Daciyan Town, Jiande City, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, adjacent to Lanxi City.

To the west of XinYe Village lies Yuhua Mountain, regarded as the ancestral mountain; to the north is Daofeng Mountain, the facing mountain. There are small earthen mounds known as Lion Mountain and Elephant Mountain to the east and south of the village respectively. The majority of villagers bear the surname Ye. In 2010, it was listed as part of the fifth group of China's Historic and Cultural Villages.

In the first year of the Jiading era during the Southern Song Dynasty, the founding ancestor Ye Kun married into the Xia family of Yuhua, Hushan, from Shouchang Lakecenfan. Over time, the Xia family gradually faded into obscurity, while the Ye family flourished into a large clan settlement. It has now passed through 29 generations, with a population of over 3,900.

XinYe Village preserves 16 well-maintained ancient ancestral halls, grand halls, pagodas, temples, and more than 200 ancient residential buildings, earning it the reputation of an "Open-Air Museum of Ming and Qing Dynasty Architecture in China." Major historic structures include the Xishan Ancestral Hall (Wan cui Hall, the main ancestral hall), Tuanyun Pagoda, Wenchang Pavilion, Youxu Hall (the general ancestral hall), Jinshi Mansion, Yongxi Hall, Zhongde Hall, Chongren Hall (a branch ancestral hall), and Shuangmei Hall.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units