Dongyuan Le Village - Four-Corner Tower

Dongyuan Le Village - Four-Corner Tower

In Lan Kou Town, Dongyuan County, beneath towering, majestic green mountains, stands an imposing, grand residence nestled against the hills and beside the water. The green mountains, clear waters, small bridges, and the smoke rising from the old house create a unique Hakka folk painting.

This Hakka dwelling is Le Village Stone Tower, locally called the Four-Corner Tower or Stone Corner Tower. Being inside the Four-Corner Tower, you will be deeply impressed by the ingenious architectural features and profound cultural heritage of the residence.

The Four-Corner Tower boasts a unique design, rational layout, and complete structure. It shares common traits with typical Hakka houses but is also distinctly different, making it a masterpiece in Hakka residential architecture. Visually, the entire building is divided into four main sections (the central block), four wings (side rooms), featuring a symmetrical style both horizontally and vertically. In front of the stone tower lies a semi-circular pond, together forming a large oval shape with the building. Five watchtowers stand like five valiant warriors, gazing down with an imposing air. The walls around the stone tower are entirely built from strip-shaped granite, up to 80 cm thick, solid as a rock. From this, one can imagine that even during times of war, once the heavy gates of the tower were firmly shut, the interior would remain a peaceful and serene haven.

According to accounts, the entire residence covers an area of over 7,000 square meters, with a built-up area of more than 4,000 square meters, and the front pond spans over 1,000 square meters. Inside, there are 108 rooms of various sizes, 36 courtyards, 20 halls of different dimensions, and three gate towers. The outer gate bears a plaque inscribed with “Da Fu Di” (Grand Official’s Residence), the second gate has plaques reading “Fu Bang” (Assistant List) and “Wu Kui” (Martial Laureate), while the third gate is inscribed with “Dun Yu Tang” (Hall of Simplicity and Prosperity). Distinct from typical Hakka houses, this architecture features side halls above, below, left, and right, with additional halls behind the main ones—commonly referred to as north-south suite halls. The upper, middle, and lower halls, as well as the entrance hall, are constructed with high-quality wood and stone materials including stone pillars, stone bases, screen doors, layered pyramid frames, wooden beams, and eaves screens—all still intact today. The beams, columns, rafters, and eaves are carved with dragons and phoenixes, decorated in red, yellow, and blue hues, with lifelike patterns. The halls and side rooms are interconnected, and despite being inside, one does not feel dark or damp, indicating a high level of attention to ventilation and lighting. The side rooms also contain halls and rooms, with upper, middle, and lower corridors seamlessly linked. Rooms within the residence are all interconnected, with large circles nested within smaller ones, layer upon layer. For a stranger entering the house, it feels like stepping into a maze—you may know how you came in, but finding your way out is another matter. The whole structure combines square and round shapes, yin and yang elements, reflecting the Hakka people's understanding of yin-yang and feng shui in architecture. The building materials, exquisite stone carvings, delicate paintings, and the hanging plaques indicate that the owner was a wealthy family at the time.

On the left side of the main gate tower, there is also a water trough, next to which are two deep wells. It is said these were fire prevention—and possibly other defensive—facilities. On the left side of the gate tower, there is a study room, showing that the owner was a learned person who valued literature and education. According to the “Zhang Family Genealogy,” the owner’s grandson, Zhang Chao, ranked sixth in the 1844 (24th year of Daoguang) imperial examination’s supplementary list, and his great-grandson, Zhang Debin, became a martial arts scholar in the 6th year of Tongzhi.

At the center of the backyard terrace of the house, there is a century-old iron tree. It is said that when the house was completed, the grandson brought it back from the capital after going to take the imperial exams, and the tree has thrived for a hundred years. Now, the iron tree is about 0.2 meters in diameter, roughly 2 meters tall, with lush pinnate leaves, full of vitality. According to 88-year-old resident Zhang Fuchu, the iron tree first bloomed in January 1999, producing both large and small spore-bearing leaf spheres, which were quite a sight.

Regarding the construction of this house, many touching and mythical legends are still passed down to this day.

Legend One: The ancestor of the house’s owner was from Banling Village, Luogang, Xingning, and came to the Lan Kou area during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties to run a small business. This man had a passion for observing feng shui. One day, while visiting Le Village, he was struck by its beauty—the area surrounded by mountains with winding ridges, a stream running through the village with crystal-clear, meandering waters, featuring the “Carp Rushing Up the Rapid” upstream and the “Golden Turtle Guarding the Water Mouth” downstream. To the northeast of the village stands the majestic Jiaolongzhai Mountain (also known as Chicken Cage Peak, famous for sunrise), and in the middle lies the ancient structure “Furong Fort.” There are also naturally unique landmarks such as “Drum Beating Rock,” “Swan Returning to Nest,” “Rooster Pecking at Grain Basket,” and “Grinding Stone”—all signs that Le Village was a feng shui treasure land where settling would lead to prosperity and talent. Inspired by the beautiful scenery, he composed a poem starting with the name of the village: “Le Village has many fine sights, yet few people reside here,” praising its picturesque views and outstanding people. Thus, the name “Le Village” came into being.

Legend Two: The man’s grandson, Jiehong Gong (born in 1753, the 18th year of Qianlong), followed the ancestral will and moved to settle in Le Village, beginning a hard-working entrepreneurial journey. One evening, after returning from working the fields under a moonlit sky, Jiehong sat cooling off in front of the house when he suddenly spotted three white horses galloping towards the southeast before disappearing. Perplexed, he wondered, “Could these be manifestations of silver spirits?” The next day, without telling anyone, he went to the spot where the horses had vanished and dug up three jars filled with gold and silver treasures. He then purchased extensive lands and opened three pawnshops, becoming a wealthy man. However, after striking it rich, he remained low-key, dressing simply. His uncle, a major landowner from Kanghe Xiankeng, had built an enormous Octagonal Tower mansion. One day, Jiehong visited his uncle’s Octagonal Tower, inspired to build a grand residence himself. Some, seeing his simple clothes, mocked him: “How can someone as poor as you afford to build such a huge house?” Jiehong remained silent, smiling without reply. Back home, he promptly hired skilled craftsmen and began large-scale construction. It is said that the construction started in the late Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty, continued through the Jiaqing era, and was not fully completed until the 1820s—taking three generations to finish.

Jiehong Gong’s descendants inherited their ancestors’ virtues of diligence, frugality, valuing education, and a love for culture. Many settled across China and Taiwan. Most who stayed nearby have built new homes and moved out of the old mansion. According to 88-year-old Zhang Fuchu, who still lives in the stone tower, every year many of Jiehong Gong’s descendants visit the ancestral home.

The Four-Corner Tower encapsulates the characteristics of Hakka architecture and serves as a microcosm of Hakka culture.