Feng Guorui’s Former Residence

Feng Guorui’s Former Residence

Feng Guorui’s Former Residence is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Gansu Province.

Feng Guorui’s Former Residence is located at No. 33 Gonghe Lane, Qinzhou District, Tianshui City, covering a land area of 1,040 square meters and a construction area of 823 square meters. Feng Guorui (1901–1963), courtesy name Zhongxiang, was a renowned scholar from Longdong. The residence faces south and consists of two courtyards, front and back. It has a rectangular layout and is built with earth and wood structures. The main hall, passageway hall, and rear-facing rooms are arranged along a central longitudinal axis, with wing rooms, a music pavilion, and side rooms symmetrically distributed on both sides. The main hall has three bays, measuring 9.0 meters in length and 8.1 meters in depth. It features a flush gable roof covered with gray tubular and flat tiles. The residence includes a main gate, courtyard, screen wall, floral-pendant gate, and arched brick gate. A small courtyard is situated between the main gate and the second gate. The second gate is an arched brick-carved gate decorated with bamboo joint and node motifs, where the bamboo roots and nodes are crafted by grinding one end of grey bricks. On the moon gates on both sides, there are brick inscriptions of the plaques “Honesty, Diligence, Thrift” and “Filial Piety, Kindness, Friendship, Respect,” intended to educate future generations. The arched gates on both sides of the front courtyard’s passageway hall each feature a couplet. The eastern side is written in clerical script: “Orchids and magnolia trees grow on the steps; tall trees listen to the rain in the wind,” with the horizontal inscription “Go with the Flow.” These express the scholarly temperament and philosophy of life of the Feng family. The upper part of the arched gate of the second gate is decorated with brick carvings of the Eight Immortals in hidden form. The entire residence is ingeniously designed and meticulously planned, with a flexible and varied spatial flow centered around the main axis, creating a rather immersive atmosphere. The buildings were mainly constructed in the early Qing Dynasty, with some parts added during the Republican era. It is currently inhabited by descendants of the Feng family. In 1990, it was designated as a county-level cultural heritage protection unit.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of Provincial-Level Cultural Heritage Protection Units in Gansu Province