Zhencheng Building

Zhencheng Building

Zhencheng Building is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Zhencheng Building is situated in the central-southern part of Hongkeng Village. It was constructed in the first year of the Republic of China (1912) by Lin Hongchao and his brothers of the 21st generation of the Lin family from Hongkeng. Commonly referred to as the Bagua Building, it is famous for its splendid magnificence and exquisitely flexible interior space design. Its partial architectural style and the colors used for elements such as the main gate, inner walls, ancestral hall, and floral walls boldly employ the Western architectural aesthetic principle of unity in diversity, achieving an exceptionally high level of artistic beauty. It stands as a masterpiece of earthen residential architecture that masterfully blends Chinese and Western elements.

The building faces south and covers an area of approximately 5,000 square meters. It consists of two concentric circular structures. The outer ring is made of earthen and wooden materials, has four stories, a diameter of 57.2 meters, and features an inner corridor layout. It has a double-sloped tiled roof and a mixed wooden frame structure of through-tenon and post-and-lintel construction.

The interior of the building is laid out according to the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) principles of the traditional Chinese *I Ching*, divided into eight units by blue brick firewalls. The structure radiates into eight equal sections, symbolizing the eight trigrams: Qian, Dui, Kun, Li, Xun, Zhen, Gen, and Kan. Each section starts with six rooms representing one trigram. Each unit can function as an independent courtyard when the doors are closed, yet all sections are interconnected when the doors are open. There are two halls and 44 rooms per floor, totaling 208 rooms. On the ground floor, each unit forms its own courtyard together with the inner ring’s central courtyard.

Each unit’s blue brick partition walls are equipped with arched gates, ensuring unobstructed access throughout the inner corridors on all floors. No windows are opened on the ground and second floors. The ground floor is used for kitchens and dining areas, the second floor for grain storage, and the third and fourth floors for bedrooms. The ground-floor inner corridor is paved with lime concrete, while floors above the second are covered with thinner blue bricks that offer soundproofing and fire-resistant benefits. The eaves of the third- and fourth-floor inner corridors are fitted with exquisite garden-style wooden balustrades. There are four staircases in the outer ring, with paired side doors on the east and west sides providing symmetrical access directly to the wing rooms on either side of the building.

The side doors feature granite door frames with iron-plated door leaves. The main gate and entrance hall of the building are located along the central axis. The main gate has a granite frame and iron-plated leaves, with the building’s name engraved on the lintel and a couplet on both sides: “Uphold principles and establish order; cultivate virtue and nurture talent.”

The rear of the outer ring is a spacious hall, enclosed together with the back wall of the inner ring and the blue brick partition walls on both sides to form a courtyard. In front of the hall is a central courtyard, with arched gates on both sides of the entrance connecting to the inner corridor of the outer ring. Inside the hall is a shrine dedicated to Guanyin. On the back wall of the hall, a pair of carved wooden couplets hang: “When should one strive? In youth, adulthood, and old age — one must always work hard. What is truly easy? Family matters, national affairs, and world issues — one must care about them all.”

The inner ring is two stories high, with a brick-and-wood structure. Each floor contains two halls and eight rooms, featuring a double-sloped tiled roof and a mixed post-and-lintel and through-tenon wooden frame, along with an inner corridor layout. It encloses the main hall of the entire building — the ancestral hall — with a central courtyard paved in granite slabs. No windows are found on the ground floor, except for the ancestral hall at the back (north), the halls and stairwells on the east, west, and south sides, and other larger rooms used as living rooms or banquet halls. The room doors are hinged wooden panels with wooden slats on the upper half for ventilation and lighting. When fully opened, these doors transform enclosed spaces into open ones.

The southern hall on the inner ring occupies the space of roughly two rooms and is also called the central hall or middle hall, situated along the central axis. Between it and the corridor of the inner ring, eight intricately carved wooden hinged doors serve as both a central gate and a decorative screen. In the past, this central gate was usually closed and only opened during major festivals or to welcome distinguished guests. It also serves as the direct passage from the outer ring into the inner ring.

To its south is the inner ring’s main gate, which faces directly toward the building’s main entrance. It has a stone frame, and the lintel is inscribed with a plaque written by Li Yuanhong, then President of the Republic of China, flanked by a couplet: “Attend to state affairs; study the classics of sages.” Stone steps are placed before the threshold, and the central courtyard on the front side is flanked by corridors leading to the outer ring. The symmetrically arranged halls on the east and west sides of the inner ring are commonly referred to as the Lu Hall and are also the main connectors between the east-west corridors of the inner and outer rings. The eastern one is the Chao Lu Hall, and the western is the Xing Lu Hall, each facing a side door. Their stone inscribed couplets read: “Rouse your spirit to take responsibility for the world; achieve some deeds to leave a legacy for posterity.” and “Awaken the golden cord of wisdom; behold the true face of Mount Lu.” The former is the handwriting of Li Ruiqing, a representative of the Li school and one of China’s five great calligraphers in the early 20th century.

The main gate of the inner ring, along with the corridors on both sides and the entrance hall, encloses the front courtyard. The inner and outer rings are separated by courtyards formed around the central courtyard, creating multiple enclosed spaces. There are two wells, one on each side to the east and west at the back, commonly called the Yin-Yang Wells. The flower beds in the courtyard blend seamlessly with the inner yard, reflecting a garden-style layout.

The inner corridor on the second floor of the inner ring is adorned with exquisitely designed Western-style cast-iron railings. The rooms on the second floor were historically used to receive guests. The front southern section is the broad hall, equal in size to the middle hall downstairs, but the floor of the inner corridor’s front section is raised 0.2 meters higher than the corridor sections on either side of the same floor, serving as the seating area for the building owner’s elders and honored guests during performances.

The ancestral hall is particularly eye-catching, located at the rear (north) of the inner ring. Its central hall is two stories high, with a roof that rises even higher than the inner ring’s roof. Four Western-style round granite columns, reaching up to the eaves of the central hall, stand at the front. The front sides of the hall feature granite railings, with an opening in the middle that connects via stone steps to the central courtyard paved in lime concrete, also reflecting ancient Greek architectural characteristics. The front is open, while the rear has a brick archway on each side connecting to the outer ring corridor. The rear and side walls display numerous inscriptions and calligraphy works by notable figures.

Unlike ancestral halls in other tulou, this one not only showcases a distinctive blend of Chinese and Western architectural styles, but also functions as a public space for clan meetings, wedding and funeral ceremonies, receiving guests and relatives, hosting banquets, and even as a stage for performances. The four stone columns in front of the ancestral hall have couplets engraved on their sides: “Uplift your family’s reputation by practicing filial piety and fraternal duty; achieve success through diligence and thrift.” and “One must not let setbacks crush one’s will, nor let comfort lead to laxity; as an official, do not take a single unjust coin; at home, waste not a single penny.”

The building has outstanding fire-resistant features. The eight units divided by brick walls ensure that if a fire breaks out in one unit, the flames are contained by the brick firewalls and will not spread to adjacent units. The floors of the outer ring’s second, third, and fourth stories, as well as the inner ring’s second story — including the corridors — are all paved with blue bricks. In case of fire, once the wooden floors are burnt, the bricks will naturally collapse downward, helping to extinguish the flames.

On the east and west sides outside the building are two two-story wing rooms, each with six rooms and a semicircular layout, built with brick and wood. One serves as a schoolhouse, the other as a workshop for processing tobacco knife strips. Both are enclosed by brick walls around a central courtyard and have an arched gate connecting to the side doors of the outer ring.

This building pioneered the integration of Western architectural culture into the design of Hakka round buildings, exerting a certain influence in Yongding thereafter. In 1985, a model of the building was exhibited at the International Architectural Model Exhibition in Los Angeles, USA, as one of China’s architectural models.

Address: Within the Hakka Tulou Folk Culture Village, Hongkeng Village, Hukeng Town, Yongding County, Longyan City, Fujian Province

Opening Hours:

8:00-17:00

Ticket Prices

The combined ticket is 90 RMB per person, covering core attractions such as Zhencheng Building, Kuiqu Building, Fuyu Building, and Rusheng Building

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 every 40 minutes, and the journey takes around one hour.

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

Hongkeng Village: Located in the northeastern part 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 the site of a national 5A-level tourist attraction. It has been awarded honors such as Ninth Municipal Civilized Village, Provincial Sanitary Village, Fujian’s Most Beautiful Village, Provincial Civilized Scenic Area, Tenth Provincial Civilized Village, Key Village of the City’s New Rural “427” Construction Project, and “Cross-Strait Exchange Base.” The village covers a total land area of 7,117 mu and has a population of 2,910.

Hongkeng Village…… More detailed information about Hongkeng Village++