Dafu Mansion in Lixi Town

Dafu Mansion in Lixi Town

Dafu Mansion, also known as the Wu Family Ancestral Hall, is located 1.5 kilometers south of Lixi Town on the banks of the Jialing River in Peng’an County. Built between the Tongzhi and Guangxu reigns of the Qing Dynasty, it features a single-eave, hip-and-gable roof and a post-and-lintel wooden structure. The complex comprises a ceremonial gate, front hall, main hall, left and right corridors, side rooms, a study, and a rear hall. Its design, materials, and construction are all exquisitely refined down to the smallest detail, and its layout, specifications, and grandeur rank it among the foremost rural residences within Nanchong. During the late Qing Dynasty and the Republican era, descendants of the Wu family lived here. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1950, it was converted into an Honored Servicemen School, then transformed again in 1952 into Lixi Primary School, which remains in operation to this day.

Over the past hundred years, the building has endured floods and undergone several modifications in response to the needs of education. Parts of the property have been demolished and rebuilt as multi-story structures, the ceremonial gate has been altered, and the former garden no longer exists. However, the main hall, right wing room, and study have remained largely intact. The remaining structures cover a total floor area of 2,700 square meters. Two osmanthus trees were planted on either side of the ceremonial gate, which although now dead, still stand with their trunks preserved.

In Peng’an’s Lixi, the Wu family was a prominent clan, producing numerous scholars and government officials from the late Qing period onward. Notable figures include:

Wu Lianfang: style name Jie’an, selected as a presented scholar (Bajin) in the fifth year of the Daoguang reign (1825) during the Qing Dynasty. He served as a prefectural judge delegated to Jiangxi, then later assisted as the Jiangxi Prefecture’s Director of Water Conservancy and Criminal Justice, and eventually served as magistrate of Fengcheng County.

Wu Dequan, a presented scholar, served as an official in Guizhou.

Wu Guifang, a supplementary scholar.

Wu Lanfang, a recommended scholar, candidate for teaching inspector.

Wu Yunshen, assistant magistrate of Lingling County, Hunan.

Wu Rong, selected as a presented scholar in the ninth year of the Tongzhi reign (1870), served as a county magistrate in Hubei with the rank of Tongzhi.

Wu Zonghan, selected as a presented scholar in the eleventh year of the Guangxu reign (1885);

Wu Lianzhu, selected as a presented scholar in the twenty-third year of the Guangxu reign (1897).

Wu Yichao (1871–1923), style name Pichen, founded a sericulture society in his hometown. He built two new silkworm breeding facilities in Qingshi Mountain and Lixi Market, equipped with overhead shelters and ground-floor platforms, pioneering new methods of silkworm rearing in Peng’an. Sichuan Governor Xiliang awarded him a black-lacquered plaque with gold lettering reading “Tree Cultivation Sets an Exemplary Standard,” which was hung at his residence, Wansang Garden, in recognition of his achievement.

Wu Yizhang (1873–1951), style name Yufen, was a recommended scholar in the twenty-third year of the Guangxu reign (1897), later studied at Sichuan Higher Provincial School. After graduation, he served as an educational officer in Xichang County, as Education Inspector and Supervisor of Studies at Pengzhou, and in the first year of the Republic of China (1912), became a member of the Provisional Provincial Assembly of Sichuan. In the tenth year of the Republic (1913), he served as the Speaker of Peng’an County Council and Principal of Chuanbei Normal School. From 1928 onward, he held successive positions including Secretary of the Fifth Division of the Sichuan Army, Magistrate of Pengxi County, County Head of Kaijiang, Head of Education for the 21st Army, Secretary of the Sichuan Provincial Government, and Director of the Peng’an Local Chronicles Bureau. After the founding of the PRC, he attended Peng’an County’s first conference of representatives from all social sectors as an invited delegate.

Lixi Town: In 2019, Sanba Township was abolished, and its administrative region was merged into the jurisdiction of Lixi Town. The Lixi Town People’s Government is located at No. 4 Yuwang Street.

Lixi Town is situated in the central part of Peng’an County, southwest of the county seat, characterized by low hills. The town center, Lixi Market, lies 10 kilometers in a straight line and 20 kilometers by road from the county seat, 17 kilometers from the train station, and all within 40 kilometers of Nanchong City, Nanchong East Railway Station, the passenger transport station, and Gaoping Airport. All roads are paved with concrete or asphalt, ensuring convenient transportation. The town is traversed by the Jialing River and the Lixi River. It encompasses a total area of 51 square kilometers… For more detailed information about Lixi Town ++