Xiejia Twin Towers in Yifeng

Xiejia Twin Towers in Yifeng

The Xiejia Twin Towers in Yifeng are a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Henan Province.

The Xiejia Twin Towers are located in Xiezhuang Village, Yifeng Township, Lankao County. Built in the late Qing Dynasty, they consist of two courtyard complexes to the east and west, covering an area of 3,300 square meters. Each complex includes wing rooms and a reception hall, with a decorative arched gate. Currently, three rooms remain in each of the east and west towers, along with five west-side wing rooms. The east tower is 14.5 meters long, 6.5 meters wide, and 13.1 meters high. The west tower is 14.5 meters long, 6.5 meters wide, and 13.1 meters high. Both face south and are two-story buildings with a flush-gable and roll-roofed style, built with brick and wood. Each has three bays in width and stands on a brick foundation about 3 meters high, with walls around 1 meter thick made of blue bricks and white lime. The windows feature carved brick patterns, with wooden shutters inside, and the four corners are built with pointed pinnacles resembling crowns—colloquially referred to as “Fork Towers.” Inside, the buildings have double-beam framing, square rafters, eight-layer brick roofing, wooden floors, and wooden staircases. The tops of the beams bear inscriptions noting the owner and the completion date. The east tower was completed in August of the 23rd year of the Guangxu reign in the Qing Dynasty, while the west tower was completed in the first year of the Xuantong reign, with Xie Songhe as the owner. The Xiejia Twin Towers are grand and imposing structures, representing typical affluent residential architecture from the Qing Dynasty in eastern Henan.

Situated along the old course of the Yellow River, the towers still bear traces of repeated flooding and course changes. The outer walls retain marks of prolonged water immersion. Few folk-style buildings have survived in their original locations for over a hundred years, making these towers historically and culturally significant.

Xiezhuang Village: Xiezhuang Village…… More details about Xiezhuang Village++

Further reading:

· Seventh batch of cultural heritage sites protected at the provincial level in Henan Province