The Earth Building Complex

　　The Earth Building Complex is located in Dadi Village, Xiandu Town, in the eastern part of Hua’an County, 26 kilometers from the county seat. In 2005, it was home to “households and 306 people, all members of the Jiang clan, whose main livelihoods were farming and tea cultivation.

　　Dadi Village is surrounded by mountains on the east, west, and south, with farmland to the north. Two small streams flow through the village and converge in front of Er Yi Building before emptying into a river. The village still retains many earth buildings and other traditional earthen-structured architectures. The listed earth buildings include Er Yi Building, Nan Yang Building, and Dong Yang Building, all of which are well-preserved.

　　The location of the Earth Building Complex reflects the principles of traditional Chinese “feng shui” architectural planning theory. The complex backs onto Bei Shi Mountain and Wu Gong Mountain; faces Da Gui Mountain and overlooks Jiulong Ridge, with overlapping peaks lush and green throughout the seasons. To the left, Shi Zi Mountain winds and leaps, with Damo Rock as its named peak; to the right, Jin Mian Mountain and Hu Xing Mountain lie low together, with the resplendent Xuan Tian Pavilion nearby. The two streams converge in front of Er Yi Building, winding in a shape resembling a jade belt. Its geographical layout is perfectly captured in the ancestral hall’s pillar couplets of Er Yi Building: “Relying on Bei Shi as a screen, four peaks embrace and gather around the secluded pavilion; facing Gui Mountain as a desk, two waters meander and cluster the lofty towers”; “Blessings ring through Dadi, continuing Qiong Lin’s opening of six beauties; joy overflows Er Yi, also facing Gui Mountain toward Jiulong.”

　　In November 1996, Er Yi Building was designated as part of the fifth group of Major National Historical and Cultural Sites. In March 2000, Dong Yang Building was listed as a Hua’an County-level cultural heritage site. In May 2006, Nan Yang Building was included in the sixth group of Major National Historical and Cultural Sites.