The Old Xie Family House

The Old Xie Family House

The Old Xie Family House is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Hubei Province.

The Old Xie Family House

Located in Longshui Village, Moudao Town, Lichuan City, it was built in 1920 by Xie Mingzheng, then magistrate of Ya'an County in Sichuan Province. Its original name, “Datianzhuang,” came from the fact that its site was once a large field. Oriented east to west, it spans 1,600 square meters in area with a construction area of 2,200 square meters. The house is built with a brick-and-wood structure and features a hanging gable roof covered with tiles. The main structure includes front and rear courtyards. Between the two courtyards is a gate pier wall with a lattice gate, and the gate pavilion is hidden behind the wall. On the stone railing wall of the main house’s terrace eaves, there is an engraved copy in regular script of Zhu Zi's Family Instructions, handwritten by Tan Longzhang, a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations during the Qing Dynasty, along with his colophon. On the cliff wall at the back of the building, the three large characters “Datianzhuang” are inscribed in regular script; each character is one square meter in size. The Old Xie Family House boasts a well-planned architectural layout and spatial form, with exquisitely carved decorative patterns inside. The calligraphy featured in the ornamentation is neat and elegant. The entire structure is simple yet dignified, making it of high value for the study of residential architecture.

Source: Hubei Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Hubei Provincial Cultural Heritage Sites