The Sun Family Residence

The Sun Family Residence

The Sun Family Residence is a cultural heritage site protected by the Henan Provincial Government.

The Sun Family Residence is located in Shangmaoyijian Village, Matoujian Township, Long'an District, to the southwest of Anyang City. Standing on the stone ridge southeast of the village and looking down at the Sun family’s homestead, one can see blue-tiled houses with gray bricks, continuous tile-roofed buildings, and viewing platforms and pavilions complementing each other, forming a grand complex of ancient architecture. It has long been known as “Little Beijing” and enjoys widespread fame. In June 2006, it was included in the fourth batch of cultural heritage sites protected by Henan Province.

During the reign of Emperor Zhang of the Eastern Han Dynasty, there was a Taoist named Mao Yi who secluded himself in Donggejian, hence the name: Shangmaoyijian. By the end of the Ming Dynasty, Sun Daiyuan, an ancestor of the Sun family, settled in Shangmaoyijian.

From the 14th year of the Shunzhi era in the Qing Dynasty to the 6th year of the Republic of China, the ancestors of the Sun family successively built five compounds consisting of three courtyards and nine gates. In total, they constructed 23 buildings with 68 rooms, and 64 tile-roofed houses with 266 rooms, covering an area of over 7,500 square meters.

The old Sun family residence is situated on the north bank of the East River, surrounded by mountains on three sides and water on the south. In front of the residence, on the north bank of the river, there is the White Dragon Temple; behind it, there is the White Dragon Stone Cave; and nearby, there is the White Dragon Pool, with year-round flowing water. The river meanders like a long dragon encircling the gate and extending northeastward—locals commonly call it “the dragon’s turn,” making it a truly auspicious feng shui location for building residences.

The four residential compounds at the east end of the village share a largely similar layout. The homes all face south, with a five-room main hall building to the north, five front-facing tile-roofed rooms along the street at the front, and a five-room central living room with front eaves and two wing extensions. Each courtyard also includes three three-room tile-roofed rooms on the east and west sides, and three three-room wing rooms on each side, forming three interconnected courtyards within each compound with nine gates in a radial pattern—commonly referred to as “nine gates facing each other.”

The architectural structure is made of earth, wood, brick, and stone. The foundation consists of slabs 9 chi long and 2 chi wide. Each level features white stone corner blocks 1.2 meters long and 2 chi wide, while the walls are accented with half-chi white square stone pieces. The roof is paved with eight layers of bricks, topped with blue barrel tiles arranged in ridges. The first-floor doors and windows are framed with white stone lintels 5 chi long and 2 chi wide, which are carved with cloud and floral patterns as well as ancient proverbs. The second floor features arched square windows with arc-shaped brick moldings and sawtooth-patterned masonry, adorned with carved brick decorations of flowers, deer, and dragons. The rear and gable walls have round windows, octagonal windows, and hexagonal windows, all framed with uniquely shaped masonry bricks.

By the third year of the Xianfeng era, Sun Zhong traveled specifically to Beijing to obtain architectural plans for a nine-gate design, and subsequently built another distinctive residence. This home faces south, with five front-facing tile-roofed rooms in the front and a 2-meter-wide viewing platform at the street level. The street-front building has a tiled roof with upturned eaves, featuring nine tiers of southern roof edges, and long U-shaped white stone drip tiles measuring 50 cm by 20 cm. Inside, there are three three-room tile-roofed buildings with upturned eaves on both the east and west sides, and a rear high-step living room with five rooms. The front section includes three rooms with front eaves, flanked by wing extensions, while the rear has narrow rooms. The entire building forms a cohesive courtyard complex, representing the classic Chinese architectural style of a traditional skywell courtyard.

Outstanding ancient residences embody both spiritual and material aspects. They influence our production and daily lives and also indirectly shape the styles of regional architecture. Stripping away the bricks and soil, the essence of ancient homes is a vessel of culture. Exquisite brick carvings, intricate and elaborate doors and windows, and lifelike tile beast decorations—all reflect the poetic charm of these old houses. The unique allure of ancient dwellings is being increasingly recognized, and how to creatively inherit and explore them has become a topic worthy of our consideration.

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Cultural Heritage Sites Protected by Henan Province