Former Residence of Huang Xiangtie - Tiegeng Tower

Huang Xiangtie’s Former Residence (Tiegeng Tower)

Huang Xiangtie’s Former Residence – Tiegeng Tower is a protected cultural heritage site of Guangdong Province.

The former residence of Huang Xiangtie is located in Beijiao Village, Jiaocheng Town, Jiaoling County, Meizhou City, Guangdong Province. Known as the “House of Literacy and Tillage,” it is also called “Tiegeng Tower.” Constructed during the Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty, it faces northeast and is situated southwest. The building adopts a four-wing, two-story horse-stable bar-style layout, with a total width of 29.8 meters, a total depth of 32.5 meters, covering a land area of about 969 square meters and a construction area of approximately 1,264 square meters. The walls are built with a mixture of sand-lime and stone, featuring arched corridors. Above the main gate is inscribed “House of Literacy and Tillage,” flanked by a couplet: “A great mansion of ten thousand rooms begins with this house; vast waves of a thousand hectares forever surround my home.” The first wing has a flush gable roof, while the second and third wings feature hanging gable roofs. On the left side between the first and second wings is a side gate; similarly, there is a side gate on the left between the second and third wings, inscribed with “Gu Yi,” and flanked by another couplet: “Draw water to cook rice with phoenix tree grains; raise clouds again to rebuild the Rice Grandchild Tower.” The fourth wing serves as a utility building. The second floor follows the same structural layout as the first but differs in content. Multiple green brick pillars support the corridor, with a post-and-lintel wooden frame, wooden beams and floors, brick walls, and wooden railings. This building holds certain value for the integration, exploration, and utilization of the historical and cultural resources of Jiaoling County. In January 2014, it was designated as a municipal-level cultural heritage site by the Meizhou Municipal People’s Government.

Huang Xiangtie (1787–1853), originally named Huang Zhao, was from Xiayellow Village, Beijiao, Jiaoling County. He passed the imperial examination as a Juren (recommended scholar) in the Jiashen year (1819) of the Jiaqing reign during the Qing Dynasty. Huang Xiangtie was erudite and talented, serving for many years as a copyist at the Imperial History Office in Beijing, where he devoted himself daily to composing classical-style poetry. He was an immensely gifted poet, authoring the nine-volume “Poetry Collection of the White Flower Cottage,” with 1,062 of his poems widely circulated. He enjoyed the prestigious title of one of the “Seven Masters of Guangdong” and was renowned alongside Song Xiang and Li Fuping, collectively honored as the “Three Masters of Meizhou Poetry.” Huang Xiangtie was also an outstanding local historian, compiling the “Shikuyi Zheng...” More detailed information on Huang Xiangtie ++

Beijiao Village: Located in Jiaocheng Town, Jiaoling County, Meizhou City, Guangdong Province. The village comprises 21 villager groups, with 798 registered households and a population of 3,089. It covers a total area of 2.845 square kilometers, including 1,145.68 mu of arable land. The annual average temperature is 21.3°C, with yearly precipitation of about 1,901 mm, characterized by a subtropical maritime monsoon climate. Major cash crops include rice, fruit trees, and vegetables. The village’s featured economic income amounts to 5.417 million yuan, and the total rural economic income for the previous year was 16.25 million yuan. ... More detailed information on Beijiao Village ++

Further Reading:

· Ninth Batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Heritage Sites

· Second Batch of Meizhou Municipal Cultural Heritage Sites