The Grand Secretary’s Mansion

The Grand Secretary’s Mansion

The Grand Secretary’s Mansion is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Fujian Province.

The Grand Secretary’s Mansion is located on Meiyuan Road, Changshou Neighborhood Committee, Zhenhai Subdistrict Office, Licheng District. Built in the 20th year of the Wanli reign during the Ming Dynasty (1592), it was the residence of Chen Jingbang, Minister of Rites. Constructed according to the standards for first-rank official residences in the Ming Dynasty, the mansion faces east and spans 29.1 meters in width and 59.1 meters in depth, covering an area of 1,724 square meters. It has five courtyards and a total of 120 rooms. The structure follows a two-courtyard compound design, consisting of an outer gate, a small courtyard, a main courtyard, and three successive courtyards (front, middle, and rear). The fourth and fifth courtyards, originally housing the Imperial Book Tower and a garden, have been destroyed. Each courtyard consists of an open space, a main hall, and wing rooms. The main halls are five bays wide and two bays deep, featuring a post-and-lintel wooden frame with reduced columns and a gable-and-hip roof. This large-scale building is an important physical example for the study of Ming Dynasty architectural art in the Putian region. The Grand Secretary’s Mansion was designated as a Fujian Provincial Cultural Heritage Site in 2001.

Chen Jingbang, courtesy name Gongwang, passed the imperial examination in the 44th year of the Jiajing reign (1565) and rose through the ranks to become Minister of Rites, later being honored with the title of Grand Guardian of the Heir Apparent. Emperor Shenzong once bestowed upon him the inscription “Rebuke Faults and Advocate Virtue,” while the plaque above the outer gate inscribed with “The Grand Secretary’s Mansion” was written by Luo Wanhua, the top scholar of the 2nd year of the Longqing reign (1568).