Kuiju Building

Kuiju Building

Kuiju Building is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Kuiju Building is located in the northwest of Hongkeng Village and was built in the 14th year of the Daoguang reign during the Qing Dynasty (1834). Facing south and covering an area of approximately 6,000 square meters, it features a layout of three halls and two courtyards. The central axis runs from south to north, successively comprising the main gate, entrance hall, courtyard, middle hall, another courtyard, main hall (front hall of the ancestral hall), and the ancestral hall, with side buildings on both sides. The main building is square-shaped, with an earth-and-timber structure, measuring 33 meters in width and 31 meters in depth. The first-floor walls are 1.5 meters thick, and it features an internal corridor layout with a mixed wooden frame of through-tenon and post-and-lintel construction. The front section has three stories, while the rear section has four, creating a significant height difference with the front lower than the back. The first and second floors of the front section have no windows, and the first, second, and third floors of the rear section also lack windows due to its proximity to the hill at the back. The entire building has only one main gate for entry and exit.

The roofs of the front and rear sections of the building are divided into three segments, featuring broken-eave hip-and-gable roofs, while the roofs of the side buildings are hipped with stepped layers. The first floor of the main building is used for kitchens and dining areas, the second floor for grain storage, and the upper floors for bedrooms. Between the front and rear sections of the side buildings, firewalls made of blue bricks are constructed from the first to the third floor. The internal corridors are connected by arched brick gateways, with symmetrical brick walls on both sides. In fact, these brick walls also serve as the dividing line between the front and rear sections of the building. The ground floor corridor is paved with cobblestones, while the upper floors use thinner blue bricks, which also help prevent fires. The ancestral hall is situated along the central axis of the rear section and occupies a more prominent position within the building compared to other earthen structures. The inner courtyard encloses a small enclosed courtyard formed by the corridors on both sides of the front hall and central hall of the ancestral hall, all opening toward the central courtyard. The outer side is surrounded by lean-to rooms.

The floors of the ancestral hall and lean-to rooms are paved with lime-soil mix. The lean-to rooms on the left and right serve not only as bathrooms and toilets but also each house a water well. The wells are located within open lean-to rooms, with a small opening in the tiled roof matching the size of the wellhead, allowing the well to be exposed to the sky while facilitating water drawing by residents during rainy days. The ancestral hall is richly decorated with carved beams and painted rafters. Its front hall has a two-story brick-and-timber structure with a pavilion-style design and a double-eave hip-and-gable roof, connecting with the lower eaves of the rear building. The second-floor attic hall, named "Dunli Hall," is exquisitely decorated, with a plaque inscribed with the honorific title "Xuan Kui" (Selected Elite) awarded to the building owner Lin Kuizhou after he passed certain scholarly examinations, hanging beneath its flying eaves. The midsection of the lower eaves on the fourth floor of the rear building protrudes with a small additional roof, giving the front of the ancestral hall a four-tiered overlapping eave structure that is both distinct and majestic—so much so that many refer to this building as resembling a Tibetan Potala Palace style. The central hall is located in front of the ancestral hall and behind the building's entrance hall. It is a single-story structure, exquisitely carved and elegantly appointed, with a lime-soil floor and a bluestone door frame.

The building has numerous corridors and side doors. Above each arched side door hangs a plaque inscribed with moral teachings related to propriety, righteousness, benevolence, and virtue.

The building’s main gate has a bluestone frame, with the building name engraved on the lintel. On both sides are couplets written by Wu Yifu, a Hanlin scholar from the Qing Dynasty (a native of Daxi Township, Yongding County): “The Kui star shines brightly, bringing flourishing civilization; the clan gathers here, displaying a renewed grandeur.” The door panels are covered with iron sheets.

In front of the building is a courtyard enclosed by a low wall made of cobblestones, and the entrance plaza is paved with cobblestones. The outer gate is located to the southwest, connected to the surrounding wall and forming an angle of about 45 degrees with the building’s central axis. It features a hip-and-gable roof, exquisite decorations, and a bluestone frame.

Time Needed

2 hours

Transportation

Yongding – Hongkeng Village: Tickets to Hukeng Tulou Cultural Village can be purchased at Yongding Bus Station for 15 RMB per person. Buses run about once every 40 minutes, and the journey takes around one hour.

Xiamen – Hongkeng Village: If taking a long-distance bus from Xiamen Hubin South Road Station to Xiayang, get off at Hukeng Station. The scenic area ticket office is right by the roadside, and after purchasing tickets, walk 500 meters to see the tulou. Hongkeng is over 20 kilometers from Nanjing Tulou and can be visited together. A motorcycle ride takes about 15 minutes.

Ticket

The combined ticket is 90 RMB per person, including key attractions such as Zhencheng Building, Kuiju Building, Fuyu Building, and Rusheng Building.

Opening Hours

7:00-19:00

Location

Hongkeng Village, Hukeng Town, Yongding County, Fujian Province

Hongkeng Village: Located in the northeast of Hukeng Town, 5 kilometers from the Hukeng town center, Hongkeng Village is one of the key villages of the Fujian (Yongding) Tulou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a renowned tulou folk culture village, a provincial-level garden-style village, and home to a national 5A-level tourist attraction. It has been honored as the Ninth Municipal Civilized Village, Provincial Sanitary Village, Fujian’s Most Beautiful Village, Provincial Civilized Scenic Area, Tenth Provincial Civilized Village, Key Village in the City’s New Rural “427” Construction Plan, and a “Cross-Strait Exchange Base.” The village covers a total land area of 7,117 mu and has a population of 2,910.

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