Yanxiang Building

　　Yanxiang Building is situated at the confluence of the Nanxi and Aoyao streams in Xinnan Village, Hukeng Town, in the southeastern part of Yongding County. It was built in the 22nd year of the Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty (1842). This circular earthen building faces southwest and sits on a northeast axis, covering an area of approximately 4,300 square meters.

　　The main building is round, has four stories, a diameter of 40 meters, and features a timber-and-earth structure. It has an interior corridor layout, a double-sloped tile roof, and a mixed wooden frame structure of through-tenon and post-and-lintel construction. The outer wall gradually decreases in thickness from bottom to top: the ground floor is 1.5 meters thick, while the fourth floor is 0.7 meters thick. Each floor has 34 rooms; the ground floor houses kitchens and dining areas without windows; the second floor has no windows and is used for grain storage; the third and fourth floors are bedrooms. Below the eaves of each floor above the second, there are small wooden storage rooms.

　　The rear hall of the main building is an open-air hall, relatively spacious, where shrines are placed. In front is a small courtyard, together with corridors on the front and both sides, forming a courtyard that aligns with the building’s entrance hall and the ancestral hall in the center along the central axis. On both sides of the rear hall are brick arched gates connecting to the interior corridors of the main building. The couplet on the pillars on the left and right in front of the rear hall reads: “We do not seek a fine location for wealth or rank, but hope our descendants will be good people.”

　　The ancestral hall is located in the center of the building, single-storied, square-shaped, and built with a brick-and-timber structure, one step lower than the rear hall. It features a hip-and-gable roof and a mixed post-and-lintel and through-tenon wooden frame. The main hall is positioned at the back, with its rear wall made of timber. On either side of this rear wall is a door leading to the rear hall; the front has corridors on both sides surrounding a courtyard, with corridors in front and on both sides of the courtyard. The floor of the main hall is one step higher than the corridors on the three front sides, and each side has a small brick arched gate connecting to the side rooms. The ancestral hall is elaborately carved and painted, simple and elegant. The three pairs of couplets on the three sets of pillars from front to back are: “By accumulating virtue, offspring multiply; by collecting books, ancient fragrance is released.” “Cultivate virtue, and descendants will thrive; read good books, and words will be fragrant.” “We do not seek a fine location for wealth or rank, but hope our children will be good people.” The brackets are carved with images. The owner’s philosophy, aspirations, and thoughtful intentions are vividly expressed here. The side rooms on both sides of the ancestral hall are single-story, brick-and-timber structures facing the rear courtyard, each about 50 square meters in size. These were among the main venues for weddings, funerals, and celebrations in the old days, as well as banquet halls. Adjacent to the side rooms are single-story auxiliary buildings such as bathrooms, also built with brick and timber, slightly lower than the side rooms, symmetrically arranged on both sides in neat rows.

　　The main building and the ancestral hall are separated by a small courtyard, connected by corridors and small doors, with all floors paved in lime concrete.

　　The entire building has one main gate and four staircases. The door leaf is covered with iron plates on the outside, and a fireproof water trough is installed above the lintel to prevent arson attacks. The entrance plaza extends eastward from the front and is entirely paved with cobblestones. Above the lintel, the three bold characters “Yanxiang Building” are inscribed. Within about two meters to the left, right, and above the building’s entrance, the lime walls are painted with “Eight Dragons” and “Five Blessings” designs.

　　The building is surrounded by an outer wall, 1.8 meters high. The front wall is built with cobblestones, approximately 50 meters long and 0.3 meters wide, curving like a sleeping dragon. The dragon’s head is the outer gate on the west side, featuring a double-eave hip-and-gable roof, a stone lintel frame, and the inscription “Da Fu Di” (Mansion of a Senior Official) on the lintel, flanked by the couplet: “Accumulate virtue for prosperity; collect books to release ancient fragrance.” The walls on both sides of the gate are painted with murals accompanied by maxims for life. When this building was constructed, because a better orientation could not be found for the outer gate, it had to be positioned slightly west of the inner gate. However, it directly faces the small stream beside the building and aligns with the flow of the stream. In addition, behind the building is a mountain valley. To ensure good fortune, this section of the wall was specially designed in this shape, with the outer gate symbolizing the dragon’s head, signifying the warding off of evil spirits. This fully reflects the traditional Chinese feng shui architectural planning philosophy (see photo 44 in 7.a-2). The walls on the sides and rear of the building follow the terrain, low in the front and high in the back, undulating. Some sections are built with stone, while most are rammed earth. On the west and rear sides are two-story schoolhouses and entertainment rooms (where the building owner played music), and on the southeast side are the Bizi Room and pigsties, all built with timber and earth, their exterior walls connected to the perimeter wall.

　　About 100 meters from the rear wall, by the stream, there is a backyard garden shaded by lush trees and ancient woods, which was once used by the building’s scholars and martial arts candidates for reading, practicing martial arts, and exercising, as well as a leisure spot for the building owner. A bluestone path in the garden leads along the stream to the outer gate, with stone railings built along the streamside. This building has produced many talented individuals. From the 1950s to the present, it has seen six university professors, 18 middle school teachers, 33 primary school teachers, two PhDs, 15 masters, 76 bachelors, and 21 vocational school graduates. In addition, there are now more than 1,000 clan members residing overseas. In January 2001, it was announced as a Fujian Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit. It is well preserved.