Hong Family Mansion

Hong Family Mansion

Hong Family Mansion is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Hong Family Mansion, located at Nos. 8, 10, 12, and 16, Dunren Lane, East Street, Qishan Town, Qimen County, was first built in the 24th year of the Daoguang reign during the Qing Dynasty (1844). It includes the Cheng'en Hall, Yangxin Studio, Chengze Hall, and Sibu Studio. The main buildings all face south, feature a two-courtyard, two-story brick-and-timber structure, and cover a total area of over 1,200 square meters.

In June 1860, during the 10th year of the Xianfeng reign of the Qing Dynasty, Zeng Guofan, the Viceroy of Liangjiang in the late Qing period, stayed at Hong Family Mansion. He held multiple military meetings here to plan strategies against the Taiping Army. The front wall of the Chengze Hall in the mansion still bears inscriptions left when the Taiping Army captured Qimen on November 7, 1862, the 1st year of the Tongzhi reign.

Hong Family Mansion was built when the Hong family relocated from Zeshu (Hong Village). It comprises dozens of large and small houses, with Cheng'en Hall at the center, Yangxin Studio at the back, and Chengze Hall and Sibu Studio on the left. The main structures of the mansion exhibit typical characteristics of Huizhou-style architecture: high enclosed walls, upturned gables, well-arranged wall lines, and an overall cohesive layout; the color scheme features white walls and black tiles, elegant and refined; additionally, there are brick-carved door hoods, wooden window lattices, and carved pillars, blending antiquity, simplicity, and opulence. The overall architecture is well-preserved and holds significant artistic value.

Hong Family Mansion served both as the field headquarters of the renowned late Qing general Zeng Guofan and retains traces of the Taiping Rebellion, embodying the historical significance of that particular era and serving as valuable material for the study of the Taiping movement. The mansion boasts exquisite architecture and remains in good condition, making it highly valuable artistically.

In May 2013, the State Council (State Council Document [2013] No. 13) designated Hong Family Mansion as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Protected Area: 5 meters to the east, west, and north, and 25 meters to the south beyond the cultural relics themselves.

Construction Control Zone: 10 meters beyond the protected area in all directions—east, south, west, and north.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units