Chonglin Residence

Chonglin Residence

Chonglin Residence is located at the foot of Daguan Mountain in Zhenlong Town. Constructed in the third year of the Jiaqing reign during the Qing Dynasty (1798), it boasts a history of over 200 years. Covering a total area of 14,000 square meters, the enclosed compound is 128 meters wide and 108 meters long, with surrounding walls 9 meters high. Inside, there are 262 housing units, 9 halls, and 18 courtyards. The construction of the residence utilized numerous traditional craftsmanship techniques and featured a wealth of artistic ornaments, giving the compound an antique and elegant appearance. Traditional techniques such as stone carving, wood carving, plaster sculpture, ceramic inlay, and brick engraving were used, among which its ceramic inlay work pioneered this craft in Huizhou’s architectural history.

The founder of Chonglin Residence was Ye Wenzhao, also known as Chonglin. Originally a humble farmer who sold salt in his spare time—first going door to door in nearby villages and later expanding across regions—his salt business gradually grew into a thriving enterprise, making him a local magnate. By the time he achieved prosperity, Ye Wenzhao was already in his late years. With the simple wish of leaving behind an inheritance for his descendants to uphold the family’s legacy, he built this grand enclosed residence. Four years after the residence was completed, Mr. Wenzhao passed away unexpectedly. Over the next two centuries, however, the prestige this grand home earned far surpassed that of its originator, the salt merchant Ye Wenzhao.

From a distance, the residence looks like a castle, but in reality, it resembles more of a small fortified city. With walls 9 meters high and nearly 1 meter thick, and both length and width exceeding a hundred meters, the structure originally had no windows but was instead dotted with hundreds of gunports. The ramparts feature a “patrol path” wide enough for horses to ride along, making its defensive function self-evident.

The walls of the residence faithfully record history—the faded slogans from the Cultural Revolution can still be seen. However, the wild grass sprouting from the eaves tells the world that this place has long been deserted.

Nowadays, the descendants of the Ye family are reluctant to live in the old house and have built modern homes elsewhere. The residence has become something like a ghost town, with only two elderly ladies still clinging to the old homestead, wishing to spend their final days here. One of them, Grandma Tang, is nearly ninety years old. She married into the Ye family at the age of 14 and became a widow at 26. Her favorite story involves pointing to the sky over the northern green hills and telling listeners how Japanese aircraft once flew low, dropping bombs on the back wall of the residence, one of which tragically took her husband's life.

Some homeowners rent out parts of the house to migrant workers for a monthly rent of thirty to forty yuan. There are still lively moments, especially during Mid-Autumn Festival or Chinese New Year, when Ye family descendants return to paste spring couplets on the old gates, set off firecrackers, and worship ancestors in the ancestral hall within the residence. This ancestral home remains the family’s spiritual root.

Zhenlong Town: Zhenlong Town is located in the southwestern part of Huiyang District, Huizhou City, on the edge of the Shenzhen-Dongguan-Huizhou metropolitan area. It borders the Zhongkai High-Tech Zone to the north and Dongguan City to the west. The town covers an area of 149.5 square kilometers, with a total population of nearly 70,000—28,000 permanent residents and over 40,000 migrants. It governs 13 administrative villages and 1 community. Zhenlong Town is known as the "Home of Lychees" and is famous for high-quality lychee varieties such as "Nuomici" and "Guiwei," having successfully obtained national geographical indication certification for its agricultural produce. The town is home to Huizhou’s largest Hakka enclosed residence—Chonglin Residence—and Huizhou’s highest peak, Baiyun Ridge. It is also close to Xinwei Baiyun Ridge... Detailed information about Zhenlong Town++