The Physician’s Mansion in Tan Village

The Physician’s Mansion in Tan Village

The Physician’s Mansion in Tan Village is a cultural relic protection unit of Guangdong Province.

The Physician’s Mansion in Tan Village is located in Tan Village, Pingshan Subdistrict, Huidong County, Huizhou City.

Most of the buildings in the Physician’s Mansion are well preserved. The front hall has a screen door, above which hangs a plaque inscribed with “Awarded the Right to Wear the Yellow Jacket.” However, this plaque is not the original but was remade during the restoration. The Physician’s Mansion originally also contained a precious wooden plaque inscribed with the characters “Wen Kui” (literally “Literary Luminary”). This plaque was bestowed by Liu Kunyi, then Minister of War and Right Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, to Cai Bingcheng, who ranked 30th in the provincial imperial examination (Jiyou Year, 1879, during the reign of Emperor Guangxu). Cai Bingcheng was the son of Cai Jinqing, but this plaque has long been lost.

The Physician’s Mansion features abundant wood carvings, many of which are colorful. Screens, Dougong beam frames, and corridors are carved with vivid auspicious motifs such as qilins, rabbits, lions, deer, birds, and flowers. Many of these wood carvings carry stories and symbolic meanings—for example, one carving vividly depicts bats, deer, and other auspicious creatures, representing the theme of “prosperity, wealth, longevity, and happiness.” The motif of plum blossoms and magpies, common in traditional Chinese architectural wood carvings, can also be found here: a magpie perched on a plum branch symbolizes unexpected good fortune and a bright, happy future.

On December 10, 2015, the Physician’s Mansion in Tan Village 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