Guanxi Wai Scenic Area

Guanxi Wai Scenic Area

Guanxi Wai Scenic Area is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

The scenic area is located in Guanxi Town, Longnan County, approximately 25 kilometers from the county seat. It was first settled during the early Southern Song Dynasty by Xu Youweng, the founding ancestor, who led his descendants here after migrating from Taihe, Jiangxi. The settlement boasts a history of nearly a thousand years. The ancient village lies within a small basin of Guanxi Cave, with the meandering Guanxi River flowing from north to south. It is embraced by green peaks to the east, protected by an ancient pagoda to the west, flanked by the towering Dongshan Mountain to the south, and encircled by the flowing Guan River to the north. Surrounded by mountains and water, the area boasts naturally stunning landscapes, covering an area of about 3 square kilometers. The village preserves well-maintained structures such as the Guanxi New Wai, Xichang Wai, Penggao Wai, Fuhe Wai, Zhenxia Wai, and Tianxin Wai, which form a cluster resembling stars surrounding the moon. Each walled residence has its own unique features, together forming a well-preserved complex of Ming and Qing dynasty civilian residences that showcase the architectural styles and characteristics of enclosed houses (wai) across different periods in southern Jiangxi.

The centerpiece of the scenic area, the Guanxi New Wai, is the most intact, largest, and most fully functional square-shaped Hakka residence discovered in China. Celebrated among the Hakka people as a “nine-hall, eighteen-room” palatial structure, it is hailed as the “Ancient Roman Castle of the East,” the “Living Fossil of Han and Jin Tung Forts,” and the “Folk Palace Scattered Among People.”

The Guanxi New Wai was first built in the third year of the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty (1798), covering an area of 27,000 square meters with 20 buildings and a construction area of 7,898 square meters. Inside the wai, there is an ancestral hall, main halls, an inner garden, a theater stage, a small flower islet, and the Meihua Academy. The Yanji Wai was built in the seventh year of the Shunzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1650). This four-story walled residence has a square layout, covering an area of 3,700 square meters with a construction area of 3,741 square meters. Each corner of the wai is equipped with a watchtower.

The Guanxi New Wai was constructed by Xu Mingjun, a renowned local gentry figure from Guanxi. Xu, the fourth among his brothers, was also known as “Old Fourth.” Having made a fortune through the timber business, he later expanded into running pharmacies and pawnshops, growing his wealth immensely and becoming a prominent local tycoon. Due to a growing family, his original residence became too cramped, prompting him to spend over a million silver taels and more than ten years constructing this grand walled residence. As it was never officially named, and in contrast to the older “Xichang Wai,” it became commonly referred to as the “New Wai.” Here is a story about the Guanxi New Wai: it covers a total area of over 7,700 square meters. Nestled against mountains and near water, it offers a picturesque setting with green bamboo, ponds, farmland, and blue skies complementing one another. The New Wai is square-shaped, with both length and width measuring 88 meters. Its walls stand approximately 9 meters high and are 2 meters thick, with 15-meter-high watchtowers built at each corner. From above, the overall structure resembles a massive Chinese character “回” (return), with the central square section serving as the ancestral hall. This hall is considered the “sacred temple” of the residents and is the most exquisitely decorated and highest-grade building within the wai. Serving as the central axis, it organizes the symmetrical layout of the surrounding structures. The ancestral hall is divided into upper, middle, and lower sections, featuring a main housing structure based on the Hakka “three-section, three-bay” style but expanded into a “three-section, six-bay” format, thus forming the signature nine-hall, eighteen-room layout with a total of 124 main rooms. The grand space and ornate decorations create a solemn atmosphere. The craftsmanship throughout the wai is meticulous, featuring abundant wood carvings and stone engravings. It serves as a public venue for collective activities such as celebrating festivals, market gatherings, and ancestral worship.

Passages inside the wai connect all the rows of buildings. Over a hundred rooms are scientifically arranged with rigorous structures. Consideration for lighting, ventilation, and drainage is meticulously addressed. Not only does it offer functions such as security defense, windproofing, earthquake resistance, yin-yang balance regulation, and temperature comfort (warm in winter and cool in summer), but it also embodies rich Hakka cultural connotations. Each building has a touching story, and every hall holds a beautiful legend. The main structures are arranged in five groups, spanning three sections with fourteen courtyards, and symmetrically distributed across eighteen halls. The “three sections” refer to the progression from the entrance’s lower hall, to the middle hall, and then upward to the upper hall, each level higher than the last. The “six bays” extend symmetrically left and right from the central hall as the axis, with balanced courtyards, rooms, and doors/windows. This radial layout from the central axis emphasizes the central hall as the core of the entire wai, reflecting strong centripetal force and cohesion.

These sections are interconnected via corridors, walls, and passageways. Though the layout is complex, it is well-organized, with rich spatial and courtyard arrangements. The Guanxi Wai not only showcases ingenious architectural beauty in its design but also features breathtaking paintings and decorative arts. A pair of exquisitely carved stone lions flank the main gate of the central hall—the male lion on the left, with an open mouth and fierce expression, and the female lion on the right, dignified and serene, demonstrating the artisans’ exceptional carving skills. The gate frame is adorned with cylindrical stone carvings of the Qian (Heaven) and Kun (Earth) trigrams from the Bagua. The stone bases under the hall’s more than ten large wooden pillars are engraved with various patterns and inscriptions. Many animal wood carvings—such as dragons, tigers, qilins, and phoenixes—are inlaid in the side halls, wing rooms, and courtyards, all vividly shaped and finely crafted. The entire wai not only fulfills functions like security, windproofing, seismic resistance, climate regulation, and thermal comfort, but also brims with cultural significance, fully exemplifying the “nine-hall, eighteen-room” palatial-style dwellings celebrated among the Hakka people.

The Guanxi New Wai follows a typical “国” (nation) character layout. In addition to the surrounding walls, the interior includes grand halls, room complexes, wells, gardens, and other living and leisure facilities. The residents refer to the front section of the wai as the “Zouma Lou” (Horse-Riding Building), which is 8 meters high with 18 rooms on the second floor; the side sections are called the “Longyi Wu” (Dragon Robe Rooms”), 7.4 meters high with 30 rooms on the second floor; and the rear section is known as the “Tuku” (Storehouse), 8.52 meters high with 19 rooms on the second floor, mainly used for storing supplies. The upper floor features wooden brackets extending out to form corridors, with rooms connected via these corridors. The rooms are named after Bagua directions, such as Kun House and Zhen House. Four watchtowers stand at the four corners of the wai. The two on the east side are two-story structures, 10.1 meters high, while the two on the west are three-story, standing 11.2 meters tall. The cross-shaped gun ports are built with specially made bricks. The eastern watchtowers, facing open terrain, have slightly simpler defensive features, with adjacent rooms often used to store weapons, ammunition, and other military supplies.

The architectural complex within the Guanxi New Wai primarily follows a three-section, three-row layout along the central axis. The central structures consist of the lower hall, main hall, and upper hall, while the three parallel rows are termed the lower building, middle building, and upper building. The halls serve as communal spaces for discussing public affairs, conducting ancestral worship, and hosting events such as weddings, funerals, and celebrations. The side buildings flanking the halls are called edge rooms, which function as the main residential areas. Each building consists of four groups arranged on both sides of the lower, main, and upper halls. Each group has three bays: the center is the hall, and the sides are living quarters. Corridor gates connect each group, and the buildings are separated by courtyards, totaling nine courtyards and 18 halls across the three buildings. The architectural structure of the halls and rooms is relatively complex, with the upper hall being the smallest, the main hall the largest, and the lower hall in between. Locals summarize the overall layout of the New Wai as: “Three sections, four walls, five buildings, nine courtyards, eighteen halls, and one hundred and eight rooms” (the actual count is 14 courtyards, 18 halls, and 199 rooms).

The scenic area features walled residence architectural landscapes such as the Guanxi New Wai, Xichang Wai, Penggao Wai, Tianxin Wai, and Fuhe Wai, as well as over 20 attractions including Guanxi Pagoda, beacon towers, Yi Garden, Hundred Fruit Orchard, and the Hakka Museum. It is the most representative Hakka cultural tourism destination infused with Hakka charm.

Contact number: 0797-3506626

Mailing address: Guanxi Wai Scenic Area, Guanxi Town, Longnan County, Jiangxi Province

Guanxi Village: Located within the small basin of Guanxi Cave, the village features the winding Guanxi River flowing from north to south. With green peaks to the east, an ancient pagoda to the west, Dongshan Mountain rising to the south, and the Guan River flowing north, it is embraced by mountains and water, offering naturally stunning scenery across an area of about 2 square kilometers. The Hakka culture of the Guanxi Hakka walled residences shines through the harmony of “antiquity” and “greenery,” showcasing its distinctive charm of “unity of literature and martial arts, farming and scholarship, officials and merchants, and village and walls.”

The customs of southern Jiangxi Hakka walled residences are typical of Hakka residential traditions, widely found across the region with square-shaped walls as the norm. “Guanxi Wai” is a Hakka residence... Guanxi Village detailed information++