The Taishi Mansion Complex

The Taishi Mansion Complex

The Taishi Mansion Complex is a cultural relic protection unit of Guangdong Province.

The Taishi Mansion Complex (including the Golden Horse & Jade Hall and the Guo Ancestral Hall) is located in Dongmen Community, Zhongshan Subdistrict, Rongcheng District, Jieyang City.

The Guo Ancestral Hall, the Golden Horse & Jade Hall, and the Taishi Mansion were all established in the second year of the Chongzhen era of the Ming Dynasty (1629) by Guo Zhiqi, one of Jieyang’s “Four Eminent Scholars of Wuchen.” His unwavering loyalty to the sovereign and his country, his steadfast resistance against the Qing and efforts to restore the Ming, along with his heroic defiance and refusal to surrender even when captured, have earned deep admiration from later generations. Guo Zhiqi left behind more than 3,000 poems—the largest collection of surviving literary works by any scholar in the Chaoshan region—and he is listed among the “Seven Eminent Scholars of Chaozhou.”

The Taishi Mansion is situated on the north side of Dongmen Straight Street, with its main structure located at Lotus Core, facing south. Overall, it follows a “hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix” layout. Its foundation is entirely supported by stone slabs, and the walls are built with blue-grey bricks. The entire building uses wooden pillars to support the roof. The main section features a flush gable roof and a mixed structural style of through-tenon and post-and-lintel.

The Guo Ancestral Hall is located east of Mashiqiao on Dongmen Straight Street, facing south. It is a typical three-courtyard-style ancestral hall of the Chaoshan region, with a grand scale and well-preserved architectural layout. Originally, there were over twenty flagpole stands in front of the hall, symbolizing scholarly honors, official ranks, and noble titles—though only a few broken stone fragments remain today. The Guo Ancestral Hall once served as the campus of Rongcheng Chengdong Middle School and is now a municipal-level cultural relic protection unit.

The Golden Horse & Jade Hall is about 30 meters east of the Guo Ancestral Hall, also facing south. It is a three-courtyard official hall constructed with timber, stone, and other materials, following the traditional Chaoshan “four horses pulling a cart” architectural layout. After renovation, the Golden Horse & Jade Hall retains its classic antique charm while also taking on a refreshed appearance. The hall entrance preserves its wooden screen partition, the central hall is spacious and bright, and is commonly used for meetings and receptions, while the rear hall enshrines the spirit tablets of the ancestors of the Dongmen Guo family. A distinctive feature of the Golden Horse & Jade Hall is the memorial archway gate situated between the hall entrance and the courtyard—a design rarely seen, with only two such examples remaining in Rongcheng. Flanking the Golden Horse & Jade Hall are two rows of residential buildings, known as the left and right Fire Lanes, which complement the main structure. To the northwest, it neighbors the Shuangfeng Temple, with a small stream serving as a boundary in ancient times.

In 2012, it was announced by the People's Government of Guangdong Province as part of the Seventh Batch of Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units.

Dongmen Community: Dongmen Community

Dongmen Community is located in the center of Rongcheng District, Jieyang. Covering an area of 0.1 square kilometers, it currently has 1,568 households and a population of 9,023. In recent years, Dongmen Community has aimed to establish a “Six-Good Harmonious Community,” increasing investment to continuously improve infrastructure. It has built a community service station, a multi-functional community activity room, a police office, a labor security service station, a family planning service office, and a rehabilitation center for people with disabilities, providing high-quality services to residents and receiving widespread praise. In 2008, Dongmen Community was honored as a Guangdong Province “Six-Good Safe and Harmonious…” Detailed Information on Dongmen Community++

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units