Li Hemu

Li Hemu

Li Hemu is a cultural relic protection unit of Guangdong Province.

Li Hemu was built in the sixth year of the Guangxu reign during the Qing Dynasty (1881 AD). It is a semi-circular weiwu with three halls, six wings, and three enclosures, and is one of the “Top Ten Ancient Residential Buildings in Xingning.” The residence has nine halls, 112 rooms, and tulous on both sides. The building layout is well-designed, with appropriately sized courtyards distributed logically, ensuring good lighting. The upper, middle, and lower halls are relatively spacious, with wide corridors between each wing. The lower flower hall features rockeries, murals, and gilded curtains. The tulous are distinctive, being double-layered two-entry structures. The main structure of the building is imposing, with stone pillars and drums outside the main gate, gilded carved eaves, and a plaque in the middle hall inscribed with “Dun Ben Tang” (Hall of Upholding Origins). This residence has profound cultural significance. The upper hall displays a horizontal plaque inscribed with “Ken Gou Ken Tang” (Willing to Build and Maintain the Hall), written in the sixth year of the Guangxu reign by Chen Shouchun of Hanfanjiang during the Qing Dynasty, created to celebrate the completion of the new residence of an imperial honored elder. The middle hall, main hall, and tulous also feature plaques inscribed with “Dun Ben Tang,” “Zi Zheng Di” (Residence of Political Advisor), and “Xiang Ying Zi Qi” (Welcoming Auspicious Airs), all written by Hu Xi, a modernist poet and calligrapher.

Li Hemu, located in Foling, Ningxin Subdistrict, Xingning City, Guangdong Province, was completed in the sixth year of the Guangxu reign during the Qing Dynasty. It is a weiwu with three halls, six wings, and one enclosure, covering a total area of 8,200 square meters; the main structure spans 99.5 meters in width and 58.9 meters in depth, occupying a built-up area of 5,368 square meters. It houses wooden plaques from the Qing Guangxu era inscribed with “Ken Gou Ken Tang” and “Dun Ben Tang,” as well as a stone engraving on the left tulou reading “Xiang Ying Zi Qi,” all written by Hakka calligrapher Hu Xi. In 2009, it was listed as a key cultural relic protection unit of Xingning City. On December 10, 2015, Li Hemu was approved and announced by the People’s Government of Guangdong Province as part of the eighth batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· Eighth Batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units

· Second Batch of Meizhou Municipal Cultural Relic Protection Units