The Xujia Manor in Boyan

　　In the southwest corner of the old street in Boyan, Wu'an, there stands a castle-style ancient architectural complex with a unique layout and grand scale — the Xujia Mansion, renowned as the “Nine-Gate-Aligned” compound. This manor was formed in the mid-to-late Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, with large-scale expansion taking place from the late Qing Dynasty to the early Republic of China. The entire estate consists of 13 courtyards of varying sizes and 398 rooms. When it comes to the Xujia family’s grand residences and their shops and pharmacies, they were widely known across much of China during the late Qing and Republican eras. A popular rhyme circulating at the time in southern Hebei went: “From Fengtian (now Shenyang) and Harbin in the north, to Yinchuan and Lanzhou in the west, numerous shops, businesses, and pharmacies, the Eight Masters of Boyan, Wu'an.” (The head of the Xujia family at the time, Xu Anliang, was known as “Master Eight”), illustrating the prestige and wealth the Xujia family enjoyed in the business world.

　　The Xujia Mansion faces south and has an overall length of over 80 meters from north to south, a width of over 40 meters from east to west, covering an area of 3,200 square meters. The estate is divided into two parts, separated by the Xujia passageway — a 3-meter-wide, 60-meter-long corridor aligned with the main (southern) gate of the Xujia family. To the east lies the old residential area of the estate, which contains six courtyards of varying sizes. To the west is the so-called “Nine-Gate-Aligned” West Residential Area, also known as the “Dowry Area.” These six courtyards in the old residential area were the ancestral homes of the Xujia family, built by the family’s founder, Xu Xingren, and his grandson, Xu Chunguang. The earliest courtyard was constructed in the 48th year of Qianlong (1783 AD), and the latest dates back to the 15th year of Guangxu (1890 AD). The West Residential Area was built much later, in 1933, specifically by Xu Jingxiu, the head of the Xujia family at the time, for his third son, Xu Shuben, to welcome his bride, Fang Xiaolan, the eldest daughter of the Fang family. With its imposing architecture, “Nine-Gate-Aligned” layout, refined cultural atmosphere, exquisite painted decorations, and beautifully embedded stone carvings, wood carvings, and brick carvings on the buildings, it caused a sensation throughout Wu’an County upon completion and became a prominent symbol of grandeur in southern Hebei.

　　The Xujia Mansion features a castle-like layout with three main gates. The main gate, also the southern gate, has upturned eaves and a covered porch. Its five granite steps include sloped stones, all carved and polished from whole granite slabs. The gate is supported by deep-relief lion-head granite pedestals, with a high threshold, wide doorframe, and a tung-oil-blackened wooden door. On either side of the gate stand two-meter-tall granite lions, flanked by mounting stones. Each of the east and west walls features four embedded horse-tying stones. This gate not only conveys prosperity and grandeur but also exudes luxury and solemnity. In front of the gate lies a 6-meter-wide east-west street, across from which stands a large wall-embedded screen wall, 2 meters wide and 4 meters tall. The center of the screen wall is adorned with an exquisitely carved brick relief of the “Three Friends of Winter” — pine, bamboo, and plum — demonstrating fine craftsmanship and grand elegance. The nine gates of the four courtyards in the West Residential Area are arranged in a straight line along the 80-meter-long central north-south axis. The deep, tranquil, and secluded compound exudes an air of mystery reminiscent of the saying “a noble house as deep as the sea.” The northern gate of the estate and the main southern gate are aligned along the same central north-south axis. The arched gatehouse, built with granite and gray bricks, gives off a rustic and dignified feel.

　　Having withstood over 200 years of vicissitudes, the Xujia Mansion has been preserved intact thanks to the protective awareness demonstrated by successive governments of Wu’an City and Boyan Town. This simple yet grand Xujia Mansion not only reflects the ups and downs of a once-prominent family’s splendid history, but also leaves behind a precious cultural and spiritual legacy for future generations.

　　In late 1945, the Wu’an County Government took over the Xujia Mansion as public property and used it as the office of the Boyan District People’s Government. In May 1961, to understand the real conditions of rural China, Premier Zhou Enlai, accompanied by Deng Yingchao, personally visited Boyan for inspection and stayed in the third courtyard of the “Nine-Gate-Aligned” section of the Xujia Mansion. They held cadre and mass meetings in both the Xujia Mansion and the Fang Family Mansion, engaging in heartfelt conversations with the people, visiting households, meeting with representatives of commune members, and comforting those in need. Always emphasizing the protection of cultural relics, Premier Zhou instructed accompanying Wu’an County officials that the Fang and Xujia families were enlightened gentry who had contributed to the country, and their mansions should be well preserved as cultural heritage sites. Thanks to the Premier’s directive and the unremitting efforts of successive Wu’an County governments, the Xujia Mansion has been kept intact. Later, the Boyan People’s Commune and the local health clinic used the site as their offices for a long time until 1995, when they moved out. Today, the Xujia Mansion serves as the cultural activity center of Boyan Town. In recent years, after a joint investigation by the Handan Cultural Relics Bureau and the Wu’an Cultural Heritage Protection Department, funds were allocated to carry out emergency preservation work on the Xujia Mansion, restoring the ancient estate to its former glory.

　　Transportation Guide

　　Location: Boyan Town, Wu’an City, Hebei Province

　　Transport: Buses to Boyan Town from Wu’an City can get you there.