Zhenfu Building

Zhenfu Building

Zhenfu Building is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Zhenfu Building is located in Xipian Village, Hukeng Town, Yongding County. It was constructed in the second year of the Republic of China (1913) by Su Zhentai, who became wealthy through the business of strip-cut tobacco. This circular earthen building faces south and covers an area of 4,000 square meters. Like Zhencheng Building, it is one of the masterpieces from the early 20th century that blends modern Western architectural art with traditional Chinese garden design in Hakka tulou architecture. Nestled against a mountain and beside a stream, the building is flanked by a winding, crystal-clear creek on its western side. It is surrounded by bamboo and trees both in front and behind, with bluestone paths extending in all directions.

The building consists of two concentric rings of circular architecture. The outer ring has three stories, a diameter of 43.5 meters, and is built with a combination of earth and wood. It follows the traditional Chinese Bagua (Eight Trigrams) layout from the Book of Changes, featuring an inner corridor design, double-sloped tiled roofs, and a mixed wooden frame structure of penetrating dougong and post-and-lintel construction.

The ground floor of the outer ring houses kitchens and dining areas without windows; the second floor serves as grain storage, and the third floor contains bedrooms. The inner corridor on the ground floor is paved with cobblestones, while the rooms are floored with blue bricks. The second and third floors are entirely paved with blue bricks. There is a staircase on each of the east and west sides, symmetrically placed. The rear hall is located to the north, aligned along the central axis with the ancestral hall at the building’s entrance. The hall enshrines deities, with a blue-brick arched doorway on each side leading to the inner corridor of the outer ring. On either side of the hall entrance stand granite columns. The rear hall, together with the surrounding corridors and the central hall (ancestral hall), forms an independent courtyard with a front courtyard.

The main gate of the building is situated on the southern side of the outer ring, with a side gate on the west. Both gates feature stone frames and iron-plated doors. Above the lintel of the main gate is the building’s name, flanked by an inscribed couplet: “Shake off the dust from thousands of feet high, may fortune last ten thousand years,” with the horizontal inscription: “Prosperity like stars and festive clouds.” At the junction of the entrance hall and the inner corridor on the ground floor are two brick archways, with lintels inscribed “Filial Piety” and “Brotherly Respect,” respectively. The entrance hall is paved with cobblestones, and on each side is a uniquely sized room—each taking up the space of two regular rooms. One room served as a warehouse for transporting finished strip-cut tobacco products to external tobacco shops, and the other as an office for sales and management personnel. Each room has a door opening toward the entrance hall. The entrance hall and the front gate of the inner ring enclose an independent courtyard with a bluestone-paved central courtyard. The inner ring is single-story, built with a brick-and-wood structure, double-sloped tiled roofs, and a mixed wooden frame of penetrating dougong and post-and-lintel construction. The ancestral hall is located at the back (north side) of the inner ring, approximately 7 meters high and over 7 meters wide, making it more spacious than the entrance and rear halls. It is exquisitely carved and richly decorated, with glazed tile ridges and roof tiles, and features two Western-style granite columns on the front and back.

The front stone pillars of the ancestral hall bear an inscribed couplet: “Uplift the family’s reputation, rejoice in the auspicious signs of virtuous descendants and noble lineage; bless the household with boundless good fortune, ensuring grand blessings and fragrant tranquility within chambers.” The rear stone pillars bear another couplet: “Soaring elegance touches the clouds, like phoenixes and cranes in flight; sow virtues in the field of fortune, with osmanthus fragrance flourishing.” The horizontal inscription reads: “The greatest joy lies in doing good.” The rear side of the ancestral hall once had intricately carved leaf doors depicting figures and birds, but these have been lost. On each side are brick archways connecting to the corridors at the front of the rear hall. In front of the ancestral hall is a circular courtyard paved with bluestone slabs. On either side of the courtyard are curved wing rooms, one step lower than the ancestral hall, connected without internal partition walls but featuring three arched doorways each facing the courtyard. The lintels are inscribed with place names: “Jidu,” “Yingdu,” “Linzi,” “Daliang,” “Yangdi,” and “Handan.” These reflect the building owner’s deep nostalgia for their ancestors and homeland. The front gate of the inner ring, commonly known as the inner gate, is elaborately carved with glazed tile roofing and stone frames bearing an inscribed couplet: “Celebrate prosperity with joy, may blessings be shared and flourish;” the horizontal inscription reads: “Clouds rise and rosy clouds glow.” The sides of the gate feature carved brick lattice windows.

The space between the outer and inner rings is divided by a cobblestone-paved courtyard, with single-story brick-built bathrooms and washrooms on the east and west sides. There is also a well at the back of each side, commonly referred to as the Yin-Yang Wells.

The front courtyard of the building is spacious and paved with cobblestones. A cobblestone wall surrounds the entire building and connects to the main outer gate. The outer gate faces southeast, with a stone frame and cast-iron lattice doors (see photo 49 in 7.a-2).

Designated as a Yongding County-level Cultural Relics Protection Unit in April 1999. Well-preserved.

Suggested Duration

2 hours

Transportation

Motorcycle – Take a covered motorcycle from Hongkeng Tulou Cluster for just 20 yuan to get there.

Ticket

The Nanxi Tulou Cluster ticket is 50 yuan per person, including Zhenfu Building, Yanxiang Building, and Huanyi Building.

Opening Hours

9:00-17:00

Location

Nanjiang Village, Yongding County, Longyan City, Fujian Province

Xipian Village: Xipian Village in Hukeng Town is the home of Zhenfu Building, a World Cultural Heritage site—Fujian (Yongding) Hakka Tulou. A river flowing down from Nanxi encircles the village like a dragon. The area east of the creek is called Dongpian Village (Hukeng Village), and the west is Xipian Village, hence the name. The village has four natural villages, 12 villager groups, 487 households, 1,745 people, and 55 party members (including 12 female party members). It covers a total area of 8,480 mu, including 1,696 mu of arable land and 2,479 mu of forest land. Its main industries include tourism, small enterprises, breeding, and farming... More details about Xipian Village++

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of Fujian Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

Nanxi Tulou Cluster

Yanxiang Building

Huanyi Building