The Guihe Hall

The Guihe Hall

The Guihe Hall was the residence of Chang Bingjun, the son of Chang Huai? and grandson of Chang Wanda. Born in the 42nd year of the Qianlong Emperor’s reign (1778), his birth coincided with his grandfather reaching the age of sixty and enjoying the peak of his career. According to family lore, Chang Wanda built a separate hall for each of his ten grandsons (the “Ten Bings”) and personally named each one. It is believed that the original Guihe Hall was constructed in the late Qianlong period. Therefore, the Guihe Hall is one of the Ten Major Old Residences of the Northern Changs. It is likely that the character “Gui” (meaning “noble”) was conferred upon Bingjun due to his birth coinciding with his grandfather’s 60th birthday, hence the name Guihe Hall.

Among the restored estates, the Guihe Hall boasts five “firsts”: Firstly, it is the largest and most intact in scale. Originally consisting of eight courtyards — including the main courtyard, rear courtyard, east new courtyard, west new courtyard, and small study courtyard — six of these have been restored in sequence. Secondly, it preserves the most complete and artistically refined examples of brick carvings, wood carvings, stone carvings, and painted decorations. Thirdly, it features the largest screen wall not only in the entire estate but also across all residential compounds in the province. Fourthly, the seven-bay rear building represents the highest-grade architecture among Chinese vernacular dwellings. Fifthly, it has the most comprehensive and high-quality collection of furniture and furnishings in the Jin-style Ming and Qing tradition; with over a thousand pieces of daily-use items, decor, ornaments, utensils, and furniture, it authentically showcases the living culture of the Chang family.