Di Hua Wei (Diao Cui Feng)

Di Hua Wei (Diao Cui Feng)

Di Hua Wei (Diao Cui Feng) is a cultural relic protection unit of Guangdong Province.

Di Hua Wei, also known as Diao Cui Feng, is located in Zhouxing Village, Diaofang Town, Xingning City, Guangdong Province. Construction began in the spring of the third year of the Republic of China (1914) and took eight years to complete, with an investment of 180,000 taels of silver. It is a three-courtyard, four-wing, one-pillar, and four-corner enclosed dragon house, covering a total area of 10,300 square meters. The main building is 99.4 meters wide and 77.3 meters deep, with a construction area of 6,183.6 square meters.

The entire residence has 16 halls and 274 rooms, giving rise to the saying "You can never stay in all the rooms of Diao Cui Feng."

In 2009, it was listed as a key cultural relic protection unit of Xingning City and is one of the “Top Ten Ancient Residences of Xingning.” In October 2012, it was upgraded to a cultural relic protection unit of Guangdong Province.

Due to the large number of rooms in the residence (including both upstairs and downstairs), there is a local saying: “You can never stay in all the rooms of Diao Cui Feng.” The “Record of Di Hua Wei” still exists.

Di Hua Wei faces east and is a two-story, four-corner enclosed dragon house with one enclosure, three courtyards, and four wings. It covers a construction area of over 12,000 square meters, with a front courtyard of 1,000 square meters, a pond of 400 square meters, and a flower terrace of over 1,000 square meters. Inside, there are 16 halls, 21 courtyards, and 274 rooms.

Three sides of the enclosed structure and the central wing are two-story corridor-style buildings. There are four stone staircases on the front, back, left, and right for access. The rear section is a semi-circular enclosed wall, also two stories high, with connected corridors around the upper floor. Each building is supported by round stone pillars, with stone railings (celadon) installed on the upper floors, flower stands on the lower floors, and beams carved with dragons and phoenixes. The windows are blue ceramic with floral designs, giving the whole place an antique, elegant, and splendid appearance.

The courtyards inside the residence are spacious, with gateways on both the left and right sides. The gates are inlaid with stone plaques inscribed with “Di Hua Wei,” written by Liu Guoming, a Hanlin scholar of the Qing Dynasty. On the right side, there is a well covering about 30 square meters. Next to it is the “New Schoolhouse,” used for student education.

In August 2009, the residence was rated as one of the “Top Ten Ancient Residences” by the Xingning Municipal Government. In 2012, it was designated as part of the seventh batch of cultural relic protection units by the People’s Government of Guangdong Province.

Zhouxing Village: Located in Xingning City, Meizhou, Zhouxing Village is situated 0.8 kilometers southwest of the Diaofang Town government seat. The village comprises 19 villager groups, with 520 registered households and a population of 2,304. The cultivated land area is 1,295 mu. The annual average temperature in Zhouxing Village is 21.4°C, with annual precipitation of about 1,227.3 mm, featuring a subtropical monsoon climate. Major cash crops include rice. The total rural economic income of Zhouxing Village in the previous year was 16.97 million yuan. … Zhouxing Village detailed information++

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Guangdong Province