Wanqiu Building

Wanqiu Building

The Wanqiu Building is located in Xiawu, Fugui Residential Committee, Xincheng Subdistrict, Meixian District. Built in 1930, it was constructed by Mr. Xia, a Malaysian-Chinese

overseas Chinese. His name was Yicheng and his courtesy name was Wanqiu. At that time, after Mr. Xia Wanqiu hired an expert in Malaysia to discover a large tin deposit and struck it rich, he built this residence in his ancestral hometown and named it the Wanqiu Building.

The entire structure is well-preserved,

blending both Chinese and Western architectural styles.

It features a Western-style pointed roof with a large clock tower,

as well as a traditional Hakka-style enclosed dragon house.

Truly a fusion of East and West,

it is magnificent and grand. Looking at the building’s floor plan,

from the tall main gate of the principal building,

you enter the lower hall,

the central hall,

and the upper hall,

all running straight through the enclosed dragon house,

resembling a Chinese character “中” (meaning "middle") with two additional short vertical strokes.

With the long vertical stroke of the “中” character as the central axis,

the left and right sides are divided by corridors on either side of the open courtyard,

and the upper and lower ends of the two corridors have small doors leading to the side wings.

Behind the side wings are two additional structures,

and at the top of the central axis,

an arc connects the two side structures beside the main building,

in addition to a vast open courtyard,

the outer gatehouse, and more,

covering a total area of approximately 4,000 square meters.

The building is supported by thick walls and over a hundred granite pillars,

each with a diameter of 1.2 chi and a length of over ten feet,

The building features thick walls and a framework of over a hundred granite pillars,

each with a diameter of one foot two inches and standing over ten feet tall.

The bases and tops of the stone pillars are adorned with floral or various relief patterns,

complementing the walls coated with fine stone plaster,

giving the entire structure a cohesive whole,

majestic and elegant.

The interior facilities are also exquisitely designed,

such as polished floors,

painted murals;

paintings on the eaves,

reliefs, and so on,

which further elicit admiration.

The large and small doors inside the building,

the bright windows, and the arcades of the main structure,

as well as the corridors, are all equipped with iron security grilles,

and the courtyard overhead features

"anti-theft net" installations.

"anti-theft net" facilities.

Inside the halls,

there is an all-redwood furniture set,

luxurious lighting fixtures,

pristine white porcelain basins,

along with oddly shaped

"distorting mirrors",

making Wanqiu Lou, in its heyday,

truly renowned.

When the grand building was completed,

there was a pair of couplets on the gate,

which read:

Stone walls like giant brushes,

portraying the magnificent landscape upside down;

The Meijiang River resembles a silk ribbon,

Surrounded by the timeless ages.

After the completion of Wanqiu Building, Mr. Xia Wanqiu only returned once. Upon learning of Mr. Xia’s return to China, newspapers reported “Overseas Chinese Magnate Xia Wanqiu Arrives in Meizhou Yesterday.” Due to the social unrest at the time, fearing he might be “taken as a hostage” (a local euphemism for being kidnapped), Mr. Xia, who only stayed one day at Wanqiu Building, immediately returned to Malaysia. Thereafter, due to Mr. Xia having no descendants living at home, the building remained vacant.

In November 2003, Taiwanese businesswoman from Meizhou, Ms. Chen Xiujin, and Mr. Long Zhenshui purchased the

Wanqiu Building, establishing Wanqiu Building Hakka Culture Co., Ltd., and invested 8 million yuan to renovate the building. The renovation design preserved the original style of Wanqiu Building, with broken or worn doors and windows restored according to the original designs, and interior decorations all adopting an antique style. The courtyard was redesigned with planted flowers and trees, and a fountain with a teapot sculpture was added. The newly refurbished Wanqiu Building mainly serves as a restaurant and teahouse, featuring a separate kitchen that offers Taiwanese tea ceremonies and local Taiwanese snacks. It has gradually developed into a Hakka cultural leisure center, focusing on serving as a contact point for Taiwanese visitors, aiming to enhance cultural exchanges between Meizhou and Taiwan and promote the peaceful reunification of the motherland.