Yansheng Building

Yansheng Building

Yansheng Building is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit and a classic red tourism attraction.

Yansheng Building is located at the confluence of Nanxi and Aoyao Streams in Xinnan Village, Hukeng Town, southeastern Yongding County. It was built in the 22nd year of the Daoguang reign during the Qing Dynasty (1842). This circular earthen building faces southwest and sits to the northeast, covering an area of approximately 4,300 square meters.

The main building is circular, four stories high, with a diameter of 40 meters, built from a combination of wood and earth. It has an inner corridor layout and a double-sloped tile roof, using a mixed post-and-lintel and dougong wooden frame. The exterior walls gradually decrease in thickness from the bottom up, with the ground floor being 1.5 meters thick and the fourth floor 0.7 meters thick. Each floor has 34 bays; the ground floor houses kitchens and dining areas without windows; the second floor also lacks windows and contains grain storage. The third and fourth floors are used as bedrooms. Above the second floor, each level features small wooden storage rooms beneath the corridor eaves.

The rear hall of the main building is a breach-style hall, relatively spacious, used for enshrining deities. In front is a small courtyard, enclosed with corridors on the front and both sides to form a yard, aligned along the central axis with the building’s entrance hall and the ancestral hall in the middle. On either side of the rear hall are brick arched doorways connecting to the inner corridors of the main building. The couplet on the pillars on the left and right sides of the rear hall reads: “We do not seek an auspicious site for wealth or rank, but wish our descendants to be good people.”

The ancestral hall is located in the center of the building, single-story and square, constructed of brick and wood, one step lower than the rear hall. It has a hip-and-gable roof and uses a mixed post-and-lintel and dougong wooden frame. The main hall is positioned at the back, with a wooden rear wall that has doors on either side leading to the rear hall. The front has side corridors with a courtyard in front, with corridors on the front and both sides of the courtyard. The floor of the main hall is one step higher than the surrounding corridors, with small brick arched doorways on either side connecting to side rooms. The ancestral hall is elaborately carved and painted, simple and elegant. The three pairs of couplets on the front and back pillars read: “Accumulate virtue and prosperity will multiply; collect books and ancient fragrance will arise.” “Cultivate virtue and your lineage will thrive; study diligently and eloquence will flow.” “We do not seek an auspicious site for wealth or rank, but wish our descendants to be good people.” The brackets are carved with images. The owner's philosophy, aspirations, and thoughtful intentions are vividly expressed here. The breach-style side rooms on either side of the ancestral hall are single-story, constructed of brick and wood, facing the rear courtyard, each about 50 square meters. These were main venues for weddings, funerals, celebrations, and banquets in the old days. Adjacent to the side rooms are single-story auxiliary structures such as bathrooms, also built of brick and wood, slightly lower and symmetrically arranged.

The main building and the ancestral hall are separated by a small courtyard, connected by corridor doors, with floors paved in lime concrete.

The entire building has one main gate and four staircases. The outer gate is covered with iron plating, and a fireproof water trough is installed above the lintel to guard against arson. The gate plaza extends eastward from the front, paved entirely with cobblestones. The three large characters “Yansheng Building” above the lintel are bold and powerful. Within about two meters around the lintel and on both sides of the gate are lime-plastered walls adorned with patterns of “Eight Dragons” and “Five Blessings.”

The building is surrounded by walls, 1.8 meters high. The front wall is made of cobblestones, about 50 meters long and 0.3 meters wide, winding like a sleeping dragon. The dragon’s head is the outer gate on the west side, featuring a double-eave hip-and-gable roof, stone lintel frames, and the inscription “Da Fu Di” (Noble House) on the lintel, flanked by the couplet: “Accumulate virtue and prosperity will multiply; collect books and ancient fragrance will arise.” The walls on both sides are painted with murals paired with moral maxims. When the building was constructed, the optimal orientation for the outer gate could not be found, so it was placed slightly to the west of the inner gate. However, it faces the small stream beside the building and aligns with the stream’s flow. Moreover, the mountain valley lies directly behind the building. To invite good fortune, this section of the wall was specially designed in this shape, with the outer gate symbolizing the dragon’s head, intended to ward off evil. This fully reflects traditional Chinese feng shui architectural principles (see photo 44 in 7.a-2). The walls on the sides and rear of the building follow the terrain, undulating from low in the front to high in the back. Some sections are built of stone, while most are rammed earth. On the west and rear sides are two-story schoolhouses and entertainment rooms (where the building owner played music), and to the southeast are rooms such as the Bi Zhi Room and pigsties, all constructed of wood and earth, with outer walls connected to the perimeter walls.

About 100 meters behind the building, by the stream, there is a backyard garden shaded by lush trees and ancient woods, once used by scholars and martial artists from the building for reading, practicing, exercising, and by the owner for leisure. A bluestone path leads from the garden along the stream to the outer gate, with stone railings along the streamside. This building has produced many talents. From the 1950s to the present, it has seen six university professors, 18 middle school teachers, 33 primary school teachers, 2 PhDs, 15 masters, 76 bachelor’s degree holders, and 21 vocational school graduates. Additionally, there are over 1,000 overseas clan members. In January 2001, it was designated as a Fujian Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit. The structure is well preserved.

Address: Xinnan Village, Hukeng Town, Yongding County, Longyan City, Provincial Highway 309

Type: Rural

Recommended visiting time: 1–2 hours

Transportation

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

Ticket

The Nanxi Tulou Cluster ticket is 50 RMB per person, including Zhenfu Building, Yansheng Building, and Huanji Building.

Opening Hours

9:00-17:00

Xinnan Village: Located in the southeastern part of Hukeng Town, Xinnan Village is home to the “Yansheng Building,” a World Cultural Heritage site among Fujian (Yongding) Tulou. The village covers a total area of 2 square kilometers and includes 10 villager groups: Qikengtou, Zitingping, Zhangmingshe, Huixing, Yuanzai, Tianbeiyang, Shishu, Xinlong, Laogonghe, and Xuefu. Among these, Qikengtou, Zitingping, and Zhangmingshe are revolutionary base villages. The village currently has a population of 480 households, totaling over 1,800 people, with 2,735 mu of arable land and 11,626 mu of forested land. It is 5 kilometers from the town center.

Xinnan Village has the world’s only… More details about Xinnan Village ++

Nanxi Tulou Cluster

Zhenfu Building

Huanji Building