Sizhitang

Sizhitang

Sizhitang is a cultural relic protection unit of Chongqing Municipality.

Sizhitang is located 800 meters west of Shuangjiang Ancient Town. It is a quadrangle-style wooden structure with a flush-gable roof, built in the early years of the Tongzhi reign during the Qing Dynasty, boasting a history of over 140 years. Only the front hall adopts the raised-beam construction method, while the rest uses the mortise-and-tenon style. The building has a total width of 55.4 meters, a depth of 35.5 meters, a total floor area of 1,966.7 square meters, and covers a land area of 2,600 square meters.

The building faces northeast and backs southwest, nestled against "Banbian Mountain" and overlooking "Houxi Stream." Its layout is designed around the concept of the "Four Knowledges," with the courtyards arranged horizontally in a rectangular formation resembling the Chinese character "四" (four), hence the name "Sizhitang." Because the area in front of the house along "Houxi Stream" features a long stretch of riverside flatland known as "Changtan" (Long Beach), the building is also called "Changtan Sizhitang," and locally referred to as "Changtanzi Courtyard." The large courtyard centers around the front hall, main house, and the east and west wing rooms, forming a grand quadrangle. On either side are additional structures called the "East Pavilion" and "West Pavilion." A brick wall, positioned four meters from the eaves of the two pavilions, encloses courtyards of about 150 square meters each. Between the inner and outer wing rooms of the courtyard are sky wells and arched corridors with coffered ceilings. Once inside the "Changtanzi Courtyard," visitors can walk through these rain- and sun-sheltered corridors to reach various rooms in the "main courtyard," "East Pavilion," and "West Pavilion." On June 25, 1907 (the 33rd year of the Guangxu reign), or August 3, 1907, in the Gregorian calendar, Bo Yibo was born in the main wing room of the "Sizhitang" in Changtan.

The construction materials used in Sizhitang are of exceptional quality, and the layout of the house is perfectly symmetrical with uniform materials. Stone bases, either round or octagonal and intricately carved, support the pillars. The wooden columns are mostly round, though some are square, hexagonal, or octagonal. Not only are the beams and ridge purlins adorned with gold accents, but the door gods and animal-shaped door studs are also decorated with gold-colored paint, giving them a vivid and well-preserved brilliance. The roof ridges feature elaborate brick carvings and plaster sculptures of immortals, celestial boys, flowers, and ornate pavilions, with auspicious characters such as "Fu Lu Shou Xi" (Fortune, Prosperity, Longevity, and Happiness) as the main decorative motifs. Door and window designs are diverse and exquisitely crafted, with latticed hanging panels, flying screens, and drapes under the eaves and between columns. Braces, hanging columns, dougongs, spandrels, doors, window panels, lattice windows, as well as baseboards and column bases are particularly rich in ornamentation. Techniques such as line engraving, relief carving, and openwork carving are often combined, showcasing the artisans’ exceptional craftsmanship and seamless integration with the carved themes. The intricately hollow-carved ancient opera figures, birds, mythical beasts, and scrolling floral patterns are extraordinarily delicate and lifelike. The carving artistry is astounding to visitors and stands out as one of the finest examples of residential architectural carving art in ancient China. It was designated as a cultural relic protection unit of Chongqing Municipality in 2010.