Liudong Xiaozhu (Xu Fulin's Former Residence)

Liudong Xiaozhu (Xu Fulin's Former Residence)

Liudong Xiaozhu (Xu Fulin's Former Residence) is a cultural relic protection unit of Guangdong Province.

Liudong Xiaozhu (Xu Fulin's Former Residence) is located in Chanxi Village, Shihan Village, Xiache Town, Heping County, Heyuan City. Construction began in the first year of the Republic of China (1912) and was completed in the tenth year (1921), consisting of a total of 48 rooms of various sizes.

Liudong Xiaozhu faces west and is backed by mountains with water nearby. The structure spans 42 meters across three bays and five sections. Each section is separated by a courtyard for lighting, ventilation, and drainage, with watchtowers built at each of the four corners, commonly referred to as the "Four-Corner Towers." The walls are built with blue bricks, supported by wooden beams, and topped with flush gable roofs. Both the side gate and main gate feature door frames made of blue stone, inlaid with blue stone plaques. Square chamfered stone pillars support the rafters, with three-tiered bracket sets lifting the beams. The brackets and beams are adorned with relief carvings of dragons and floral patterns, coated in gold lacquer. Above the side gate is a plaque inscribed with the name “Liudong Xiaozhu,” personally written by Zhong Xiu, then the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry of the National Government. The accompanying couplet reads: “A lineage of noble scholars spreads refined civilization, a united family forever cherishes its virtuous heritage; the gate welcomes the celestial aura, reflecting the brilliance of stars and clouds, shining with the sun and moon, heralding a new era.”

The main gate bears the inscription “Noble Scholar’s Former Home,” written by Tan Yankai, then President of the Executive Yuan of the National Government, along with the couplet: “Expand great plans to carry forward our glorious heritage, uphold reverence for ancestors and trace our roots back to the East Sea; plan for future descendants’ prosperity, strive to accumulate merits that will bless the land for millennia.” The stone pillars in the second hall also feature a couplet by Tan Yankai: “Love the streams and mountains encircling this home, observe the world with pride, a hall amidst green fields; aspire to bring timely rain, first toil and later enjoy, when will I comfort the people in leisure?” These two couplets reflect the mindset of political figures of the time, who possessed both a “heart to serve the world” and a desire to “retreat to the countryside” for a peaceful life. The upper hall has a wooden plaque inscribed with “Yizheng Hall.” The screen in the second hall is inscribed with “Civilization and Progress,” both written by Tan Yankai.

In 2012, the People's Government of Guangdong Province designated it as part of the Seventh Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Guangdong Province.

Shihan Village: Shihan Village…… More details about Shihan Village++

Further reading:

· Seventh Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Guangdong Province