Ancient Architectural Complex of Donghuoping

Ancient Architectural Complex of Donghuoping

The Ancient Architectural Complex of Donghuoping is a protected cultural heritage site of Guangdong Province.

Donghuoping Village is located in Taiping Town, Shixing County, Shaoguan City, Guangdong Province, adjacent to National Highway 323. The residential buildings of Donghuoping date back to the Qing Dynasty. The entire complex faces south and covers an area of 91,000 square meters.

The residential buildings of Donghuoping consist of the Eighteen-Hall Mansion, the Zeng Clan Ancestral Hall, the Upper Kiln Back Walled Tower, the Silver Vault, and various other houses. The traditional village halls feature exquisitely carved patterns on key elements such as window lattices, bracket sets, and lattice doors. Various craftsmanship artworks—made from different materials including plaster, wood, and stone—are ingeniously embedded throughout the houses. The village layout centers around the main hall (ancestral shrine), extending stably and symmetrically to both sides. The buildings are interconnected in an orderly fashion and closely clustered together, with wide and straight eaves corridors. Each housing unit typically consists of two halls and six rooms (with the halls in the middle, divided into front and rear sections, and the rooms positioned on either side of the halls, usually two or three per side). Gray plaster ornaments adorn the undersides of each hall’s ceiling. This complex holds significant value for the study of Qing Dynasty vernacular architecture and Hakka folk customs.

On December 10, 2015, the Ancient Architectural Complex of Donghuoping was approved and announced by the People's Government of Guangdong Province as part of the eighth batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Heritage Sites.

Taiping Town: As the seat of Shixing County government, Taiping Town is the political, economic, cultural, and transportation hub of the county, as well as a center for goods distribution. The town covers a total area of over 170 square kilometers, including 180,000 mu of forested land. It governs 16 villages and 4 community neighborhood committees, with a total population of 57,000. In 2000, it passed the provincial rural well-off standards assessment and is recognized as one of the 268 central towns designated by the provincial government.

Economic Development. First, the town vigorously promotes export-oriented economy by implementing the development strategy of “attracting investment with sincerity, incentivizing investment with preferential policies, stabilizing business with services, and driving further investment through existing businesses,” attracting investment from Hong Kong, Macao... More details about Taiping Town++

Further Reading:

· Eighth Batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Heritage Sites