Jingxia Wu House

Jingxia Wu House

Jingxia Wu House is a cultural relic protection unit of Guangdong Province.

Jingxia Wu House is located in Jingxia Village, Renju Town, Pingyuan County, Meizhou City, Guangdong Province. Built in the ninth year of the Jiaqing reign during the Qing Dynasty (1804), it was constructed by Wu Kunting, a local resident. The house spans 43.3 meters in width and 51.72 meters in depth, covering an area of 2,252 square meters, and faces southwest with its back to the northeast.

The main structure is a Hakka enclosed house with three halls, three wings, and one surrounding dragon, covering an area of 2,252 square meters. It consists of 64 rooms, 11 halls, and 6 auxiliary rooms. In front, there are flat cultivated fields, and the surroundings feature murmuring streams. Behind the main halls is a raised semi-circular "flower stand," which together with the main body forms a half-circle. There is an outer gate tower on each side; the right gate tower originally had a semi-circular pond in front, and the right side of the house formerly displayed a stone pillar erected in honor of a scholar who passed the imperial examination in the seventeenth year of the Guangxu reign. On the left side, there is a well.

The overall design of the Wu House is compact and delicate, symmetrical on both sides, with layers that go deeper and rise progressively. The walls are made of earthen bricks, the roof framework is of fir wood, and the roofing is covered with tiles. It is a typical example of Hakka enclosed architecture. The structure uses through-style beam framing, with square pillars, carved screens between the columns and hall doors, serving both as space dividers and decorative elements. The first and second sections of the main building have clay tile floors, while the third section, wings, and courtyards all feature bluestone flooring. The central hall’s horizontal screen features a colored painting titled “Staff and Shoes in Abundant Spring,” and the middle and lower halls’ horizontal screens display eight historical paintings rich in cultural significance, such as “Trading Calligraphy for Geese” and “Walking in Snow to Admire Plum Blossoms.”

Jingxia Wu House is exquisitely built and largely intact, making it a valuable physical resource for studying Hakka enclosed architecture.

On May 10, 2010, it was announced by the People's Government of Guangdong Province as part of the sixth batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units (No. 15).

Jingxia Village: Located in Pingyuan County, Meizhou City, Jingxia Village is situated 2 kilometers east of Renju Market. The village has jurisdiction over 16 villager groups, with 332 registered households and a population of 1,243. The total area of the village is 9.8 square kilometers, and the cultivated land area is 1,100 mu. The average annual temperature in Jingxia Village is 19.5°C, with an annual precipitation of about 1,693 millimeters. The climate is characterized as a subtropical monsoon zone—mild, with abundant rainfall, ample sunshine, low wind force, and short frost periods. Major cash crops include sweet corn, mesona, flue-cured tobacco, and ginger. The village’s distinctive economic income amounts to 2.67 million yuan. In the previous year, the rural economy of Jingxia Village... [More detailed information on Jingxia Village]

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units