The Nine Mansions and Eighteen Courtyards

The Nine Mansions and Eighteen Courtyards

The Nine Mansions and Eighteen Courtyards is located in Tanshi Village, Matou Town. Construction began in the early years of the Kangxi reign during the Qing Dynasty (1660) and was completed in the sixth year of the Jiaqing reign (1818), taking a total of 158 years. The project spanned four generations of master builders and their descendants.

The original architectural plan called for nine square-shaped, straight-line main buildings with rear towers. However, because the original owner of the land designated for the fourth building refused to transfer it to the Wen family, the structure was built with three horizontal and three vertical blocks, collectively referred to as the "Nine Mansions." Each set of three mansions contains six courtyards, totaling eighteen courtyards.

The entire complex spans over 70 acres. Walls and towers are built entirely with fired bricks up to the roof. The central rooms of the houses were constructed using pebbles and lime mortar, while some walls were made with mud bricks.

Courtyards and verandas are paved with long stone slabs. The main halls are supported by blue stone pillars holding up wooden frames. The middle mansion’s central hall is the finest example of the main structures, with its wooden beams carved with dragons and phoenixes. The two side rooms of the front mansion replace walls with four screen panels, each intricately engraved with landscapes, flowers, birds, and figures in relief. Unfortunately, these screens were stolen one night in January 2003.

The main entrances of the central three mansions are flanked by front porches supported by blue stone pillars, all adorned with painted beams and carved rafters. The left carving depicts the “Inspection Tour of the Censorate,” showing a grand procession with people and music; the right carving illustrates the “Return of the Number One Scholar in Splendid Attire,” exuding splendor and an imposing atmosphere.

The windows of the towers are made from large blue stones, carved with designs of coiled dragons and crouching tigers. The doorframes and thresholds of the main halls are all finely crafted from blue stone, with the threshold slabs featuring carvings of galloping horses in various poses. Above the main hall hangs a golden plaque inscribed with “Bamboo and Phoenix Hall.” The central gate of the main building displays a gilded plaque reading “Three Generations, Six Ranks,” while the central beam of the middle hall hangs a gilded plaque inscribed with “Imperial Decree.” All the fired brick walls inside the main halls have been manually polished to a smooth finish.

It is said that at the time, a laborer was only allowed to polish three bricks per day, and not a single one more.

Address: Xingchangwei, Tanshi Village, Xinfeng County, Shaoguan City, Guangdong Province