Ancient Ming and Qing Dynasty Architectural Complex in Zhaji

　　 The ancient Ming and Qing residential architectural complex is located along both banks of the flowing Zhaji River, stretching ten li. There are 80 Ming Dynasty buildings and 109 Qing Dynasty buildings still in existence. Nearly all the Ming and Qing structures feature carved beams and painted rafters, with upturned eaves and ornate ridges. Among them, residences such as the De Gong Ting Wu (Hall of Virtue), Song Qing Tang (Hall of Pure Chanting), and Ai Ri Tang (Hall of Loving Sunlight) are particularly grand and tall, with exquisite structures. The De Gong Ting Wu is especially notable for its four-pillar, three-story, memorial archway-style gatehouse, with five dougong (bracket sets) on the roof covering the gatehouse in slightly upturned layers—simple, elegant, majestic, and generous. The back is adorned with openwork carvings depicting auspicious motifs such as two dragons playing with a pearl, a red phoenix facing the sun, a fish leaping through the dragon gate, and a lion rolling a embroidered ball, all rendered with masterful and exquisite craftsmanship.

　　 Ancient stone, brick, and wood carvings can be seen everywhere in Zhaji. The wood carvings on window and door panels, the stone carvings on column bases in halls, and the brick carvings on gate towers and lintels are all intricately and exquisitely carved, delicate and translucent, with diverse designs—whether flowers and birds, animals, or human figures—all vividly lifelike. The houses are mostly multi-courtyard style, with three or four courtyards, and between them are “four waters to the hall” style courtyards. Along the courtyards’ second-floor corridors are “beauty’s lean” railings. The walls are built from strip stones, the column bases are round carved stones, the walls are blue bricks, and the roofs are black tiles. The traditional double-sloped roofs are half-hidden and half-revealed, tucked behind overlapping gables. The gables rising above the rooftops not only help prevent the spread of fire but also serve a security function. The gables come in a rich variety of shapes—cloud-shaped, bow-shaped, stepped, etc.—with upturned, hollow horse-head designs at the top. The exteriors of these ancient residences are all blue bricks and black tiles—not because the ancient people of Zhaji lacked wealth or aesthetic sense, but because during the Ming and Qing periods, many Zhaji residents were merchants doing business outside, including no shortage of wealthy tycoons, and the scholarly culture in Zhaji was extremely prosperous. Around the Zhaji village are four gates and three pagodas: Zhong Xiu Gate, Ping Ling Gate, Shi Gate, and Ba Shan Gate; Ru Song Pagoda, Qing Shan Pagoda, and Ba Shan Pagoda. These are simple and elegant. These three pagodas were funded and built by the Zha family during the Qing Dynasty’s Jiaqing era to revive the scholarly culture of Zhaji. Zhaji natives Zha Bingjun and Zha Chunru were also renowned calligraphers and painters of the Qing Dynasty.

　　 So why didn’t the people of Zhaji decorate their homes in dazzling colors? It turns out that in feudal China, the use of color was subject to extremely strict hierarchical distinctions. Even if commoners had immense wealth, they were absolutely not allowed to use various resplendent paintings and decorations on their homes. “Loss within the dike is compensated beyond it.” Although the homes were uniformly blue bricks and black tiles, the clever people of Zhaji ingeniously arranged their layouts, “building houses against the mountain and settling villages by the water.” The distribution of the residences skillfully utilized classical Chinese garden design techniques such as borrowed scenery and framed views, creating a “heaven-human harmony” layout where “the green mountains outside the gate are like those inside the home, and the flowing water of the east neighbor enters the west neighbor’s yard.” The houses are interconnected by streets and alleys. The Zhaji River, formed by the convergence of the Cen, Xu, and Shi rivers, meanders through the village, and stone channels run past every household. Due to the steep drop of the Zhaji River, the clear water cascades down in layers, and along the river are various arched stone bridges, slab stone bridges, and cave stone bridges, connecting the residences on both banks. The weathered stone bridges, entwined with vines, look from afar like jade bridges spanning the water, echoing beautifully with the blue-brick and black-tiled buildings on both sides. It is said that Zhaji Village once had 108 bridges, 108 temples, and 108 ancestral halls.

　　 Even today, although Zhaji Village has endured a hundred years of wind and rain and no longer retains its former glory, it still has 15 bridges—including Hong Lou, Tian Shen, and Ling Zhi—and more than 10 ancestral halls and temples. Among them, the larger-scale Bao Gong Ancestral Hall, Hong Gong Ancestral Hall, and Er Jia Ancestral Hall reveal the former splendor of Zhaji Village through their gilded upturned eaves and carved beams and painted rafters. With three rivers flowing through the village, three pagodas framing the four gates, stone bridges spanning streams, and ancient building complexes on both banks, the profound and unique architectural culture and the spiritually enriching landscape have nurtured the people of Zhaji in days gone by. Standing before these ancient Ming and Qing architectural complexes, we cannot help but feel a sense of pride in the long-standing Chinese culture and marvel at the diligence and wisdom of our ancestors who created this splendid ancient civilization.