The Weilong "Nine Halls and Eighteen Courtyards"

The Weilong "Nine Halls and Eighteen Courtyards"

The Weilong "Nine Halls and Eighteen Courtyards"

This is a residential compound built during the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty by a local landlord surnamed Zeng in Weilong Village, Yidu. It covers an area of 20 acres. In front of the compound lies a moat and a large lotus pond, while inside there is a running horse building. The complex includes nine halls, eighteen courtyards, and 120 rooms, with pillars, pedestals, corners, beams, and corridors adorned with sculpted or painted patterns.

The courtyard is circular in shape, and the surrounding wall is seven to eight meters high, constructed entirely from a mixture of tung oil, sugar, sand, and lime compacted into place. Every few meters along the wall are gourd-shaped gun ports and coin-shaped watch holes. All outward-opening main gates within the compound are built from exquisitely carved large stone slabs. The entire structure is grand, sturdy, and logically laid out. It holds significant value for the study of the economic and architectural history of the Liuzhou region during the Qianlong and Jiaqing periods of the Qing Dynasty. In the eighth year of the Xianfeng reign (1858 AD), the compound was denounced by local militia groups for “supplying grain to bandits and colluding with pirates from Xunzhou to incite uprisings.” On the day the compound was breached, it was set on fire, but its overall scale and architectural layout remain largely intact to this day.