Former Residence of Hu Zhengyan

Former Residence of Hu Zhengyan

The former residence of Hu Zhengyan is a cultural relic protection unit of Anhui Province.

The former residence of Hu Zhengyan is located at No. 1 Wenchang Lane, Haiyang Town, Xiuning County, Huangshan City, Anhui Province. It was originally built in the late Ming Dynasty and underwent additions and restorations in the mid-Qing Dynasty. The structure has a square layout, and the surviving section features a "one bright room and two dark rooms" architectural style. The main building is 12.24 meters wide and 8.95 meters deep; on the eastern axis, there is an attached side hall and entrance courtyard, which are 3.84 meters wide and 15.13 meters deep, covering a total area of 168 square meters. The ground floor spans 300 square meters and also follows a "one bright room and two dark rooms" layout, with side rooms flanking the central hall. In front is a courtyard, with corridors on both sides. The eastern corridor connects to the front side hall, porch, and courtyard. The staircase is located behind the screen wall of the hall, and the upper floor contains bedrooms and living quarters. The wooden framework combines raised-beam and through-tenon construction, using materials of medium to slightly refined quality. Elements such as bracket sets reflect the legacy of Ming Dynasty architecture. In March 2008, the former residence of Hu Zhengyan was designated as a municipal-level cultural relic protection unit.

Protected area: 4 meters beyond the residential foundation on the east, south, west, and north sides.

Construction control zone: 15 meters beyond the protected area on the east, south, west, and north sides.

Hu Zhengyan (1584–1674), courtesy name Yucong, art name Shizhu, was a native of Xiuning County and a renowned seal carver and painter of the Ming Dynasty. During the Ming era, when fiction flourished and woodblock illustrations became popular, Hu Zhengyan’s “Shizhu Zhai” (Ten Bamboo Studio) came to represent the high art of watercolor woodblock printing, elevating Huizhou woodblock printmaking to new heights.

Hu Zhengyan was born in 1584 into a family of generations of physicians in Wenchang Lane, Xiuning County. He was the second of his brothers, hence also called "Ergong" (the second son). Gifted and erudite from a young age, he was skilled in literature. After turning thirty, he traveled with his father and elder brother practicing medicine in western Anhui, once staying in Wangjiang Bay, Lu’an, before moving on to the Huoshan area, specializing in … Hu Zhengyan’s detailed information++