FuYu Building

　　FuYu Building is situated in the northern part of Hongkeng Village, bordering Hongchuan Stream to the east. Built in the sixth year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty (1880), it faces west and spans about 4,000 square meters, featuring a three-courtyard, four-section mansion-style layout (a Five Phoenix Tower). The central axis runs from east to west, sequentially comprising: the front courtyard, inner gate, entrance hall, front patio, central hall (ancestral hall), rear patio, and rear hall. It is 45 meters wide, 37 meters deep, with the rear section measuring 41.4 meters in width; both rear corners are inset by 1.8 meters, with the inset sections extending 9 meters deep. The building houses a total of 166 rooms, 22 halls, 28 staircases, 6 patios, 2 side gates, 2 wells, and 6 bathrooms. The main structure—comprising the front and rear buildings and the two side wings—is one floor higher than typical Five Phoenix Towers, enhancing its defensive capabilities. The rear building stands one step higher than the central hall, while the middle building is two steps higher than the front building. Both the front and rear buildings are constructed of earth and wood, with lime-plastered exteriors, and are connected to the side wings. The front building has two stories, the rear building five and a half, and the side wings five. It features an interior corridor layout, hip-and-gable roofs, and a mixed wooden frame of post-and-lintel and beam-raising construction. The ground floor of the rear building includes kitchens, dining areas, and living rooms; the second floor serves as grain storage; and floors above the third are bedrooms. The front building’s ground floor consists of an entrance hall and side rooms, with the second floor housing bedrooms. The middle building’s ground floor contains the ancestral hall, side rooms, and passageways, while the second and third floors include the Guanyin Hall and bedrooms. The main structure is divided vertically from west to east into three sections: central, southern, and northern. Each section’s front building has a separate gate—the central one being the main gate, and the side ones ceremonial gates, slightly smaller than the main gate. The front gate of the front building features a granite frame with engraved couplets.

　　Flanking the building’s entrance hall are side rooms. At the back of the hall stands a double-panel, three-section partition screen as tall as the first floor, serving both as a central gate and a screen wall. The six hinged door panels have upper sections adorned with gold-inlaid patterns. Behind the partition is a rectangular patio paved with rammed earth. Small doors are set on either side of the partition, connecting to corridors on both sides of the central hall’s (ancestral hall’s) front patio—these corridors are wider than others and can accommodate banquets. The widened sections each have a small front-facing door leading to the side wings. Ascending two steps behind the corridor leads to the central hall corridor, with doors on either side opening to the side wings. As the ancestral hall, the central hall is built of brick and wood, tall and spacious, with its entrance open to the front patio and standing over a meter higher than other rooms in the building. It is richly decorated with carved beams and painted rafters. The rear wall displays a glass plaque; the columns at the back of the hall feature recessed wooden couplets carved in intaglio: “For centuries, virtuous deeds define good families; above all, reading remains the noblest pursuit.” The columns on either side of the front-facing side rooms display exquisitely carved wooden congratulatory plaques gifted by Lin Zhen, a high-ranking official from the capital, when the building’s owner moved in. The front edges of the ancestral hall are flanked by two square columns on each side; the lower sections between each pair of columns feature plaster sculptures—flowers and plants at the front, and the characters “Fu” (fortune) and “Lu” (prosperity) at the back; the upper sections are fitted with green-glazed lattice screens. The sides of the hall recess inward at the back, with doors leading to the rear hall on the front and side. The front door is a carved wooden screen door, while the side one is a brick archway, with a patio behind the screen door. Flanking the patio are two-story, three-bay side rooms; a small door provides access at the front of the brick archway. Behind the hall are corridors leading to the side rooms. The back wall of the hall features a staircase to the second floor, connected to the corridors of the side rooms. The second floor of the middle building houses the Guanyin Hall in the center, its floor level higher than the corridors of the rear side rooms. Short staircases are located at the front of the corridors on either side, leading through archways into the central Guanyin Hall. The Guanyin Hall is tall and spacious, enshrining a statue of Guanyin, with intricately carved wooden screens on either side of the shrine. The hall’s beams and rafters are painted red, with a large central octagonal auspicious diagram adorning the ceiling. A 1.2-meter-high, 1-meter-wide platform is set at the entrance, edged with glazed lattice railings. The inner edges of the platform, the space between the platform and the columns connecting to the ancestral hall’s front columns, are also inlaid with glazed lattice screens extending to the roof beams. On either side of the hall are front and rear areas, accessible via short staircases from the side archways. The front area has a door connecting to the platform, while the second floor of the rear side rooms connects to the rear building’s walls. The corridor at the front of the rear building forms an enclosed passage between the rear building and the side rooms, with doors at either end leading to the adjacent side wings.

　　The interior corridors on the sides of the middle and front/rear buildings divide the building’s interior into six patios of varying sizes, enriching the spatial layers and enhancing comfort.

　　The rear building has nine bays, divided into three units of three bays each, each with its own staircase—located in the larger central bay. On each floor, the area in front of the staircase serves as a hall, while the rear is split into two small rooms. The structure above the second floor mirrors that of the ground floor, with the top half-floor designated as [unspecified]. Two wells are located on either side at the front of the rear building. In the past, the clan leader resided in the rear building as a mark of prestige. The two-story side wings connected to the front and rear buildings are built of brick and wood, symmetrically arranged, with interior corridors and a mixed post-and-lintel and beam-raising wooden frame. Parallel to the side wings and symmetrically placed on either side are rows of single-story brick-and-wood structures, housing toilets, pigsties, storage rooms, mills, and poultry coops.

　　The front hall (building), central hall (building), and rear hall (building) feature flush gable-and-hip roofs, flush gable roofs, and flush gable-and-hip roofs with upturned eaves, respectively. The roofs of the front, central, and rear halls (buildings) are divided into three stepped sections, rising progressively from front to back. Their slopes are significantly steeper than those of other types of earthen buildings, lending an imposing grandeur.

　　The wooden floors on the second floor and above are paved with thin blue bricks, providing fire resistance and sound insulation while preventing sand and soil from higher floors from falling onto lower ones. The ground floor halls, patios, and corridors are paved with rammed earth, durable and still well-preserved to this day.

　　All wooden structures on the ground floor along the central axis of the building are painted, and the exterior walls are coated with lime. The double doors and staircase treads are fitted with iron sheeting to enhance security.

　　The front of the building features an oval-shaped front courtyard paved with cobblestones. The section facing the stream is enclosed by a 2.3-meter-high brick wall, while the rest is constructed from cobblestone-mortared walls. The building’s side includes one drying room, two mills, four storage rooms, and four toilets.

　　The outer main gate is located at the northeast corner, connected to the surrounding wall. Its roof ridge features three stepped sections, with upward-curving finials and exquisitely carved eaves, giving it an antique charm. The stone-framed gate is flanked by intaglio-carved couplets. A smaller gate is situated at the southeast corner, and within the southern wall is a small, two-story compound with three rooms, one hall, and brick-and-wood construction, serving as a schoolhouse.