"Ri Zi Tang" Old Residence

"Ri Zi Tang" Old Residence

"Ri Zi Tang" Old Residence: This is a five-bay residential house located in West Lane on Lower Street of Tangyue Town. It gets its name from the rectangular pond in the front half of the courtyard, which is divided by a long strip of bluestone, resembling the Chinese character "日" (sun/day). It is currently the home of the Luo family. The "Ri Zi Tang" is enclosed by tall exterior walls, and the interior is divided into front and rear halls. The front hall includes an entrance porch, and both the front hall and the porch have floors paved with stone slabs, wooden pillars with simple carvings. The rear hall has stone bases for its pillars. The front and rear halls are separated by a courtyard, with corridors along both sides of the courtyard connecting the two parts of the "Ri Zi Tang." There is a pool in the center of the courtyard without railings. The terrain of the "Ri" Pond is designed so that the front hall is higher than the rear hall, and the outside of the hall is higher than the inside. This unconventional design, according to local residents, symbolizes stepping out of the study hall with the implication of "rising higher with every step you take." The structure of the "Ri Zi Tang" is neat, with a compact floor plan and clearly defined functional zones. Its framework uses relatively large materials, and the connection between pillars and beams relies on bracket sets (dougong). The convex curvature of the moon beams is quite pronounced, reflecting Ming Dynasty style. The front hall features more bracket sets, mostly set on the corridor eaves, while the rear hall has a greater number of bracket sets that are also finely crafted. The pillars in the front hall are thicker than those in the rear hall. The side rooms along the courtyard have been renovated, but the rest of the structure remains well-preserved, making it a typical example of mid-to-early Ming Dynasty architecture.