The Ancient Village of Kānjiātáng

　　The Ancient Village of Kānjiātáng is located in Xiàróng Village, Pǎishì Town, Yàxīn County, Huángshí City, Húběi Province. Though named Kānjiātáng, it was actually the Li Family Compound constructed during the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty by the Li family surnamed Li. Descendants of the Li family adhered to their ancestors' instruction to only expand within the original foundation and not outward. Over more than 300 years, this resulted in a familial architectural complex covering an area of over 2,000 square meters, nearly 100 meters in length and about 20 meters in width, comprising three levels (upper, middle, and lower), three main gates, 36 courtyards, and 108 rooms.

　　According to the Li family genealogy, the founding ancestor of this branch of the Li family, Lǐ Huáichǔ, migrated from Qīngpén, Ruìchāng, Jiāngxī to this area around the year 1580. In 1752, during the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty, the seventh-generation descendant of the Li family, Lǐ Kèruì, made his fortune through the production and trade of tea and hemp. He then undertook large-scale construction projects to expand the family estate, building this grand familial compound to bring honor to his ancestors.

　　Initially, the compound consisted of only a modest connected five-room structure spanning just over a hundred square meters with a single courtyard. Later, Lǐ Kèruì had six sons. Aside from the second son, Shànguì, who passed away at the age of five, his other five sons—Shànyīng, Shànháo, Shànjié, Shànxíang, and Shànhù—were as spirited and promising as five prosperous tigers. As a result, Lǐ Kèruì went on to build additional living quarters, reception rooms, as well as separate chambers for each of his five sons, extending in three directions: left, right, and front.

　　Five blue bricks preserved in the walls of the main hall served as Lǐ Kèruì’s will, specifying the property shares allocated to each of his five sons. The upright blue brick in the center indicates the small portion of the compound that the fourth son, Shànjié, retained after moving out.

　　The Li Family Compound was built against a hillside, facing south with its back to the north. In front of the residence lies a spacious courtyard that extends over a hundred meters along the enclosing wall. The walls stand over thirty feet high. There are either two-story or three-story pavilions, with inner corridors wrapping around the different levels. The outer walls of the side rooms feature narrow but tall or wide and flat ventilation windows that could also serve as lookouts or defensive firing holes. The hundred-meter-long enclosing wall has only three gates: the main gate, framed with bluestone, is inscribed with the characters “Pángǔ Fēngqīng” (Ancient Wind Clear). From the outside, the residence looks no different from buildings constructed on flat land, but once inside, one sees how it follows the contour of the hill with its stacked levels. The three main gates of the main hall, each with three steps, intersect with three horizontal corridors, and the 108 side rooms are nestled within this grid of three vertical and three horizontal sections.

　　The fire prevention, drainage, and lighting systems within the courtyard are also quite ingenious. Within the brick-and-timber structure, every five rooms horizontally feature a brick fireproof wall that extends all the way to the top of the building. Even in the event of a fire, the damage would be limited to just those five rooms, preventing it from spreading further. Throughout the structure, the 36 courtyards serve as a unique solution to the heavy rainfall typical of the Jiangnan region. Each courtyard is connected to a hidden drainage channel leading to the main gate, embodying the small-scale farming mentality of “all water flows to one place” and “no nutrient-rich water flows to outsiders.” For lighting, the exterior of the courtyard only has inward-flaring openings that both serve a defensive function and maximize natural light and ventilation. Meanwhile, the wooden windows inside the rooms are uniformly adorned with exquisite wood carvings or lattice designs, which are not only pleasing to the eye but also enhance indoor lighting.

　　The rooms within the Li family compound can be categorized into five types: ancestral halls, communal rooms, guest halls, kitchens, and living quarters. The ancestral halls and guest halls were generally off-limits to most family members. The guest halls are decorated more elaborately than other rooms, featuring intricate wooden caisson ceilings, carved lattice windows, and finely crafted wooden balconies, vividly reflecting the merchant family’s mindset of hospitality toward friends and guests. The communal rooms served as spaces for family activities, gatherings, and handling important family matters, and were kept clean at all times with strict bans on poultry entering. The living quarters, meanwhile, provided equal space allocations regardless of age or seniority. The five sons and their descendants all used and inherited designated, standardized areas. From this, one can clearly see the rigid hierarchical structure of feudal ethics within the family, as well as the moral essence of Confucian ideals of equality and harmony.

　　The Li family compound of Kānjiātáng is not merely an ancient dwelling with nearly 300 years of history—it is also a unique blossom exuding deep familial historical sentiment. Though hidden away in the mountains and appreciated by few for over two hundred years, its fragrance remains as fresh and memorable as ever.