The Former Residence of Yao Yuanzhi

　　The Former Residence of Yao Yuanzhi is situated within Beijie Primary School in Tongcheng City. Yao Yuanzhi (1776–1852), courtesy name Bo’ang and pseudonym Jianqing, was a native of Tongcheng, a successful candidate in the imperial examination during the Jiaqing era, a painter, and an official who rose to the rank of Left Censor-in-Chief. The existing structures of his former residence consist of three groups: the front building, east and west wing rooms, and the rear building. Between the front and rear buildings, and flanked by the east and west wing rooms, lies a central courtyard known as the “front courtyard.” Behind the rear building is a rectangular courtyard referred to as the “rear courtyard.” The entire complex measures 45.75 meters in length and 20.48 meters in width, covering a total area of 936.96 square meters.

　　The front building covers an area of 132.34 square meters and features a structure with front and rear corridors, with its wooden framework well-preserved. The building has five bays: the central bay is 6.7 meters long and 4.25 meters wide, covering an area of 28.48 square meters; the two side bays are each 6.7 meters long and 3.9 meters wide, covering an area of 26.13 square meters; and the two outer bays are each 6.7 meters long and 3.85 meters wide, covering an area of 25.08 square meters. Both the front and rear corridors are 19.75 meters long and 1.7 meters wide. The corridor floors are paved with bricks, and the edges are built with stone. Each corridor has eight wooden pillars; the bases of the outer pillars are made of white marble—round on top and hexagonal at the bottom, carved with floral patterns representing the four seasons. The bases of the inner pillars are round on top and square at the bottom, without any carvings. All rooms have wooden doors, wooden paneling, and wooden floors, with vents beneath the flooring. The walls are fitted with wooden windows divided into two parts: the lower section consists of fixed “grid” horizontal windows adorned with ring and diamond-shaped wooden ornaments, while the upper section features operable “grid” vertical windows inlaid with scrollwork carvings. The corridor ceilings are covered with canopies and small roof tiles. The rear building has the same floor area and architectural specifications as the front building, with the difference being that the rear building is equipped with railings, the corridor includes an additional upper level, and the wooden-railed corridor eaves feature cantilevered brackets with diagonal supports.

　　The east and west wing rooms each have three bays, are 4.7 meters long and 3.4 meters wide, and cover an area of 47.94 square meters. They are fitted with “grid”-style long windows and brick partition walls, arranged symmetrically with a neat layout. The front courtyard is shaped like the Chinese character “工” (work). The east and west wing rooms are spaced 2.6 meters apart from the front and rear buildings, forming the four corners of the “工” shape. This courtyard is 16 meters long and 8.75 meters wide, covering an area of 140 square meters. The rear courtyard is 20.4 meters long and 3 meters wide, covering an area of 61.44 square meters. The rear courtyard features high whitewashed walls standing 5.7 meters tall, topped with small roof tiles and accented with black ink paintings. The walls are inlaid with openwork lattice windows.

　　To the north of the rear courtyard stand two magnolia trees planted by Yao Yuanzhi. Nearby is an ancient well, “where dropped stones echo with a lasting resonance.” To the west of the building, there is a small bridge over flowing water, artificial rockeries, unusual stones, and renowned trees and bamboo groves. A pavilion built against the hillside is named “Bamboo Leaf Pavilion,” from which Yao Yuanzhi derived his self-styled title “Scholar of the Bamboo Leaf Pavilion.” The overall architecture of the former residence is well-preserved and is currently in use by Beijie Primary School. It has been designated as a municipal-level key cultural relics protection unit.