Wan Cui Lou

Wan Cui Lou

In the tourist destination of Huangshan City stands Wan Cui Lou, located on Tunxi Old Street at the foot of Mount Huang. This ancient street, with its long history and well-preserved Song Dynasty architectural style, attracts numerous domestic and international visitors with its distinctive Huizhou-style buildings. Amidst this bustling old street rises Wan Cui Lou — a 24-meter-high, four-story building covering an area of over 500 square meters. With its carved beams and painted rafters, upturned eaves, and integration of wood, brick, and stone carvings, it combines antique materials with new construction in a truly ingenious design.

Every flying eave, latticed window, and brick carving is reassembled from Ming and Qing dynasty architectural components collected from folk sources. Pavilions, towers, courtyards, and gate covers exude an antique charm. Wan Cui Lou is truly a marvelous museum of ancient architecture. The owner, Wan Renhui, spent three years and over 20 million yuan to establish China’s first ancient architecture museum, which opened to the public in April 1999. Ye Xuanping, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, inscribed the name “Wan Cui Lou.” Upon entering Wan Cui Lou, you’ll find soaring beams and red pillars in a spacious and bright interior. A pool of clear water, a stone-carved bridge, intricately carved hanging lattices, and antique furniture arranged in the hall all contribute to the ambiance. Beside the hall is a tower-shaped courtyard with fish swimming merrily, creating a serene and timeless atmosphere as if you’ve stepped back into the Ming and Qing dynasties. The second floor exhibition hall displays historical relics and fine porcelain artworks by master artists. The third floor features a front hall and rear corridor with ornate paintings and classic Huizhou-style residential hall designs. The fourth floor houses a rooftop garden with gray tiles, white walls, flower stands, and potted plants showcasing Huizhou-style garden aesthetics. From the railing, you can gaze out at the Qiantang River and the scenic views of the ancient street.

Wan Cui Lou houses countless treasures within its walls. Among them are ancient dinosaur fossils, Han Dynasty Buddhist statues, gilded Bodhisattvas, a Ming Dynasty cloisonné lotus-patterned iron vat, a Jiajing-era fish-transforming-into-dragon bronze bell, a Kangxi-era ten-panel wooden screen carving, a Qianlong-era grand offering table, Republic-era bloodwood carvings, kesi lanterns, bamboo couplets, wood carvings, ceramic and lacquer couplets, pillar-hugging plaques, and 900 inkstones. There are also over 500 contemporary artworks by masters such as Fu Baoshi, Tang Yun, Zhu Qizhan, and Guan Shanyue... Fei Xiaotong, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, spent an entire day at Wan Cui Lou and praised, “Private museums like this — the wealthy may not be willing to build, and the less affluent simply can’t afford to — they are truly rare and commendable.” Other notable visitors including Gao Changli, Liao Hui, Cao Qingze, Li Zhaoxing, Xiong Faqi, the President of the University of Hong Kong Zheng Yaozong, Secretary-General of the Taiwan Arts Association Liu Pingheng, foreign master architects, and travelers from around the world have all spoken highly after their visits. One American sinologist even compared it to the Yueyang Tower, Yellow Crane Tower, and Tengwang Pavilion. Wan Cui Lou preserves the traces of time and reconstructs the crystallization of national art. As a renowned building of the new century in the Jiangnan region, it adds another splendid attraction to the scenic wonder that is Mount Huang.