Cungeng Hall

　　　　“Cungeng Hall” is a large ancient building with traditional Hakka architectural features, constructed between 1716 and 1781 (late during the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty). Covering a total area of over 13,000 square meters, it is the largest and best-preserved residential building in Zhongdu Town. During the Qing Dynasty, it was as renowned as “Sanli Hall” (now gone) and “Baierjian” (later downsized to Tiande Hall), and was considered the finest among them, often referred to as the “Nine Halls and Ten Well Rooms,” famous far and wide. During the commune era, it housed 33 households with over 130 people from an entire production team, including a threshing ground and storage facilities all located within. The central hall served both as a dining hall and a meeting venue, exuding grandeur with its “feast under bells and tripods.”

　　 The hall is situated at the head of Luoxi Village (following the water flow direction), backed by mountains and facing water, oriented southeast to northwest. It is built with a timber-and-earth structure, stone foundations, and rammed earth walls. The back building’s base wall is 1.5 meters thick, tapering gradually upward. The entire complex has five courtyards and four wings, each level higher than the last, presenting a majestic view from afar. The first courtyard is the walled gatehouse, with a spacious front yard that could accommodate horse-drawn carriages. The second is the lower hall, featuring a stone door frame flanked by fixed couplets that read: “A noble heart remains unsoiled, like a gentleman; tilling the fields and singing by the furrows, emulating the ancients.” The third is the middle hall, where a high plaque hangs atop the central screen, inscribed with “Cungeng Hall.” The characters “Cungeng” are said to have been written by a renowned scholar from eastern Guangdong, while the character “Hall” was added later. “Cungeng” conveys the meaning of “accumulating virtue and preserving the land for future generations.” Mr. He Shangwen, one of the hall’s owners who now resides in Taiwan at the age of 94, named his new home in Hualien County “Cungeng Xiaozhu” in memory of his ancestral house and his homeland. The middle hall is spacious enough to host around ten tables of banquets. Its walls and wooden pillars were once adorned with calligraphy and paintings by famous artists, most of which have been lost. Only one carved wooden couplet remains, inscribed with: “A family that accumulates goodness will have abundant blessings; those with wealth who practice self-discipline will enjoy lasting years.” At the end of the inscription, the bold signature “Song Xiang of Zhizhou” is prominently displayed, along with an ancient seal script stamp. This is the authentic handwriting of Song Xiang, one of the Seven Great Hakka Poets. As a result, on December 17, 1996, the People’s Daily published a special report titled “Calligraphy by Qing Dynasty Hakka Poet Song Xiang Discovered in Shanghang.” On either side of the main hall are wing rooms (inner chambers). On the second-floor wall of the right wing room, brush-written words read: “On a certain day in a certain year, Taiping King Kang stayed here.” Legend has it that on the second day of the fifth lunar month in the fourth year of the Tongzhi reign (1865), the Taiping Army’s later general, King Kang Wang Wang Haiyang, led his troops across the Ting River from Lufeng into Zhongdu and stayed in this house. Hence, Mr. He Shangwen wrote in his book “Hundred Odes on the Scenery of Hangchuan,” published in Taiwan: “My home once hosted King Kang; ink traces still stain the walls.” Unfortunately, fearing the suppression of the Qing rulers, the writings were erased after the Taiping Army moved into Jiaying (present-day Songyuan in Meizhou), and they can no longer be identified. The fourth courtyard and the two rows of wing rooms are mostly two-story buildings, except for the last row, which is a full three-story structure. Standing in the courtyard in front of this building and looking up, you can only see a “sliver of sky,” creating a sense of profound mystery. The entire complex is orderly and dignified. Between each courtyard and the main hall, there are open spaces (commonly called “cracked wells”), which were once filled with exotic flowers and ancient trees—some in pots, some planted directly. When the breeze blew, fragrances wafted through the air. The eaves inside and out are edged with long stone slabs fitted tightly together, giving the courtyards a court-like atmosphere in the depth of spring, as if from an ancient official residence. Legend has it that the design of this house was modeled after the incense factory in Foshan, Guangdong. In my childhood, every time I entered this house, I felt overwhelmed and awestruck, clutching an adult’s sleeve and looking around in fear of getting lost in a maze from which I could not escape. The entire hall has 180 rooms, nine main halls, and eighteen courtyards, hence the name “Nine Halls and Eighteen Wells.” The floors of the entire residence were made of the most advanced rammed earth mixture available at the time, as cement and tiles were not yet used, while the floors of the upper levels were inlaid with ceramic bricks. [1-2]

　　Construction Process

　　　　This luxurious, grand building was constructed by He Chongshan (1716–1781), an ancestor of the He family who owned the house.

　　 He had run a dyeing business in Sansanduo Zhu, Guangdong for many years, achieving great success through capable financial management. He accumulated funds and invested 13 years of labor and over 90,000 taels of silver to complete the project. Some say that even assigning a strong worker to open all the doors and windows in the morning and close them again in the afternoon would leave them breathless and rushed. Likewise, hosting a grand banquet for a hundred tables could be managed entirely within the house without needing to step outside, giving a sense of the immense scale of the architecture and the exceptional skill of the craftsmen of the time.

　　Other Related Information

　　　　-　According to relevant data, this house has stood for at least 200 years. Despite weathering over time, the structure remains largely intact, retaining much of its original charm. In the past, it housed multiple families, and the area was known for its cultural achievements, producing five scholars, two tribute students, and one juren (successful provincial examinee) during the Qing Dynasty. Only in the past two decades following the reform and opening-up period have residents, having improved their living standards, moved out of this ancient building to construct modern brick-and-wood or brick-concrete homes on the hillside behind the hall and the surrounding open areas. Today, the house is still inhabited by seven elderly individuals or families living in poverty.

　　　　In 1993, the Shanghang County People’s Government designated this house as a third-batch county-level key cultural relics protection unit.