Shuyuan Archway Group

Shuyuan Archway Group

The Shuyuan Archway Group is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Shuyuan Archway Group and Sishu Hall are located in an ancient Huizhou village inhabited by the Bao clan.

Shuyuan Village is one of the ancient settlements of the Bao clan in Huizhou, established during the Song Dynasty's Jianyan era, boasting an 800-year history. It currently features 32 ancient residential buildings, among which the three Ming and Qing stone archways at the village entrance and the Qing Dynasty-era residence Sishu Hall are representative structures. The three stone archways, from south to north, are: the Qing Dynasty Chastity and Filial Piety Archway with three bays and four pillars in a towering style, the Zhen Shou Zhi Men Archway (Gate of Longevity and Chastity), and the Ming Dynasty Zan Xian Archway (Praising Virtue Archway) with two pillars and a single bay.

Sishu Hall is situated along the northwest street of the village and consists of a main hall, living quarters, entrance porch, kitchen, and auxiliary structures. It is a fine example of mid-to-late Qing Dynasty residential architecture. The Shuyuan Archway Group and Sishu Hall carry a rich cultural heritage of ancient Huizhou villages and serve as valuable material for studying the profound "Huizhou Studies." They reflect the lifestyle and ideological pursuits of the ancient Huizhou people and stand as important examples for researching traditional rural culture, representing outstanding instances of both archways and residences among the "Three Wonders of Ancient Huizhou Architecture."

On October 7, 2019, the Shuyuan Archway Group was included in the eighth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

(1) Chastity and Filial Piety Archway, Gate of Longevity and Chastity.

Protected area: 10 meters to the east and west beyond the base of the archway, 50 meters to the south, and 30 meters to the north up to the outer edge of the gate archway.

Construction control zone: 40 meters to the east, 50 meters to the south, 20 meters to the west, and 20 meters to the north beyond the protected area.

(2) Zan Xian Archway.

Protected area: 10 meters to the east, south, west, and north beyond the base of the archway.

Construction control zone: 30 meters in all directions beyond the protected area.

(3) Sishu Hall.

Protected area: 3 meters beyond the eastern and western gables, 2.8 meters to the south up to the street, and 5 meters beyond the northern wall.

Construction control zone: 27 meters to the east and west, 27.2 meters to the south, and 25 meters to the north beyond the protected area.

Further reading:

· Eighth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units