Hall of the Huzhou Prefectural Office

Hall of the Huzhou Prefectural Office

The Hall of the Huzhou Prefectural Office is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Hall of the Huzhou Prefectural Office (4th batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units)

Era: Song to Yuan

Address: North side of East Avenue, within Huzhou City

The establishment year of the Huzhou Prefectural Office is unknown. According to the 1558 edition of the "Huzhou Annals" from the Ming Dynasty’s 37th year of the Jiajing reign, the prefectural office during the Yuan Dynasty had already attained a certain scale. A major earthquake in the 7th year of the Yuandade era (1303) caused all buildings to collapse. They were rebuilt the following year but were destroyed by fire in the 18th year of the Zhiyuan era (1358), during the Yuan Dynasty, with only the main hall surviving. It was rebuilt in the 4th year of the Hongwu era (1371) under the Ming Dynasty, and has undergone multiple additions and renovations in subsequent dynasties. The existing main hall structure dates back to the original Yuan Dynasty construction; the ceremonial gate and the Admonition Stone Pavilion are Ming Dynasty structures, while the rest were built during the Qing Dynasty.

The Huzhou Prefectural Office faces south and covers a total area of 6,000 square meters. Along the central axis are structures including the watchtower, ceremonial gate, passageway, Admonition Stone Pavilion, and the main hall.

The main hall is the principal building of the government office complex, built on a 1.2-meter-high platform, with a terrace that is 21.20 meters wide and 18 meters deep. At the front is a three-bay-wide, single-bay-deep, rolled-canopy flush-gable porch. The main hall itself is three bays wide and eight rafters deep, with a beam-frame structure consisting of six rafters... It features bracket sets and bracket arms supporting the purlins. The roof is supported by columns at the front, while the interior uses closely spaced columns. On the beams are carved inscriptions, and the ceiling is adorned with caisson decorations. Extended reading:

· 4th Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units