Former Residence of Xie Yingzhou

Former Residence of Xie Yingzhou

The Former Residence of Xie Yingzhou is a cultural tourism attraction.

The Yingzhou Hall is located within Mianhua Primary School (formerly Weinan Primary School) beside Mianhua Village. It is a modern building constructed with contemporary materials, blending European style with traditional Chinese architectural features. The Yingzhou Hall was built by Xie Yingzhou after returning from his studies in France. At that time, he personally designed it based on Western European modern architectural styles, and imported the required construction materials from France. The existing Yingzhou Hall includes not only the main two-and-a-half-story structure but also a four-pillar Chinese-style corridor pavilion in front of the building, featuring a hip-and-gable roof with four pillars. The upper parts of the pillars and beams are carved with auspicious patterns, and the roof is covered with plain tiles. Beyond the corridor pavilion lies a one- or two-story small building with a tiled roof on its right. A Chinese-style pavilion with green glazed tiles is situated behind the main entrance of the main building and is connected to it. The main entrance is adorned with a stone plaque inscribed with “Yingzhou Hall.” The exterior of the building features a framework of eight thick and tall columns, with four inner columns extending over the second-floor roof, presenting a dignified yet elegant appearance with left-right symmetry. The first floor has a central hall with an altar at the front, and rooms on both sides are separated by corridors into four sections, with the corridors leading to side doors and the outside of the building. The staircase room is located to the left rear of the hall. The Yingzhou Hall emphasizes spatial aesthetics, with both floors being over 4 meters high, and places great emphasis on decorative materials. The ceiling and wall corners are adorned with multiple layers of overlapping cornices, with the corners designed as scrolled patterns. The floor is paved with triangular tiles in alternating green, white, and brown colors, while the exterior walls are coated with white stucco.

Xie Yingzhou’s Villa is located at No. 5, Liyuan Road, Hedong, Wenquan Town. In 1937, Xie Yingzhou developed land near the hot spring source, creating a garden and constructing a villa. Nestled against mountains and beside water, the back of the villa is flanked by swaying pine trees and dense, tranquil fir forests. In front lies a spacious terrace, below which slopes are dotted with sparse green bamboos gently swaying in the wind, not far from the quietly flowing Liuxi River. The main structure consists of two buildings connected by corridors and pavilions, with a garden situated in between, arranged in a lively and natural manner, featuring landscapes, pools, and woods amid towering trees and fragrant shrubs.

The first building of the villa is a five-sloped hip-and-gable roof structure, with an overall layout in the form of two parallel "T" shapes. The building is constructed on a raised base, with brick walls between the peripheral eave columns, and a moon gate on the side, while the front features three windows. The columns are thick, with drum-shaped bases, and the eaves are supported by bracket sets extending from the beams. The wall tops are painted with colored designs. The five-sloped roof is covered with green glazed tiles, complete with water spouts. The corridor pavilion features multi-columned arcades, and where it connects to the main building, it takes the form of a half-hipped roof. Trees, flowers, the villa, rockery, and courtyards are arranged in a well-balanced composition, with a small lake in front of the villa. In the middle of the lake’s island stands the Liuchun Pavilion (now transformed into “Xianmu Garden,” a new hot spring leisure destination). It is among the second batch of cultural heritage sites designated by Conghua City.