Gao Family Flower House

Gao Family Flower House

The Gao Family Flower House is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Gao Family Flower House

The Gao Family Flower House is located on the mountainside of Baima Mountain in Group 1, Xiejia Valley Village, Zhuping Township, Zhushan County, at the junction of Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Hubei provinces. Built in the mid-Qing Dynasty, it covers a construction area of 1,066.34 square meters and currently has 12 households with 38 residents.

The Gao Family Flower House, facing south, features a seven-bay width and a layout of one entry, three sections, two inner courtyards, and a quadrangle courtyard. The front section is built mainly with brick, stone, and wood, while the rear section is primarily earth and timber, sloping from front low to back high, with upstairs and downstairs arranged in an engagingly staggered fashion. Ascending the thirteen bluestone steps in front of the main gate, you are greeted by an exquisitely crafted and richly carved eight-character gate tower, grand and imposing. From the entrance onward, the courtyard is filled with outstanding examples of brick, stone, and wood carvings, each piece vividly expressive. From the brick-carved gate tower to the marble-carved threshold, door drums, door lintels, door headers, and column bases, to the “Fu” (Fortune), “Lu” (Prosperity), “Shou” (Longevity), and “Xi” (Happiness) windows carved from bluestone on the front exterior wall, as well as the wooden carvings of doors, windows, panels, lattices, eaves boards, and column capitals inside the courtyard—each is meticulously crafted with skilled techniques. The carvings include both round carving and openwork carving, as well as high relief and low relief, featuring smooth lines, diverse shapes, lifelike forms, and vivid expressions that captivate the viewer. The carving motifs draw from a wide range of sources, including folk tales, historical stories, pastoral scenery, as well as auspicious symbols such as “Dragon and Phoenix Bringing Prosperity,” “Magpies Celebrating Plum Blossoms,” “Deer and Cranes Sharing Spring,” and “Phoenix Playing with Peonies.” The overall architectural decoration presents an image of noble wealth, prosperity, simplicity, solemnity, freshness, elegance, tranquility, and harmony—a scene of pastoral aristocracy.

Around the flower house, remnants of colorful painted murals can still be found along the eaves walls and window edges of the outer walls, spanning over a hundred meters. These murals feature bright colors, neat compositions, rich content, and vividly depicted images, with simple yet lively brushwork. Despite enduring a century of wind and rain erosion, they remain radiant and eye-catching.

In terms of architectural style, the flower house employs a “horse-head” fireproof wall, which is a unique creation among ancient residential buildings in both northern and southern China. This historic structure holds significant historical, artistic, and scientific value, whether in its architectural form, content, or style.

On October 7, 2019, the Gao Family Flower House was included in the eighth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Hubei Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Eighth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units