Wuzhouchuantong Residential Building Craftsmanship
01 · Historical Records
Zhuge Village in Lanxi City, Zhejiang Province, now has more than two hundred Ming and Qing dynasty residences; the earliest building there was constructed around the tenth year of the Zhizheng era of the Yuan dynasty (1350). The earliest buildings of Yuyuan Village in Wuyi County date from the Southern Song dynasty, and 130 Ming and Qing residences survive there. The Lu Residence in Dongyang is a large residential complex of the Ming and Qing dynasties, with a floor area of about 17,000 square meters; its famous Suyong Hall was built during the Yongle era of the Ming dynasty. Zhengzhai Town in Pujiang County is an ancient town where the Zheng clan lived together; it was first built in the early Northern Song dynasty and covers an area of about 5,000 square meters. In the early Northern Song dynasty, Zheng ancestors from Xinzheng in Henan Province made their way by stages to the banks of the Bailin Stream in Pujiang, where they settled; this was more than nine hundred years ago. The Zheng clan of Pujiang lived together for generations, and in its development strictly observed Confucian standards of conduct, reaching its zenith at the end of the Yuan and the beginning of the Ming dynasty. The court repeatedly commended it with titles such as 'Zheng Family of Righteousness', 'Family of Filial Piety and Righteousness', and 'Nine Generations Dwelling Together', making it a model of governing the family through Confucian principles in its day. In the front and rear courtyards of the Shijian Hall stand nine ancient cypresses of the Yuan dynasty, thick enough to encircle with both arms, their branches like gnarled dragons; legend has it that they were planted by Song Lian, the famous Ming dynasty writer from Pujiang. Inside the Shijian Hall hang inscribed plaques and couplets bestowed by the imperial court and written by eminent officials of successive dynasties, including plaques bearing the words 'Filial Piety and Righteousness' and 'The First Family of Jiangnan', bestowed during the Hongwu era of the Ming dynasty. On the four walls are many stone inscriptions, among them the 'Bailin Stream' tablet written by Toghto (Tuotuo), a minister of the Yuan dynasty.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
These buildings, with their long history, ingenious layout, and exquisite decoration, fully demonstrate a high level of construction craftsmanship. Wuzhou traditional residences give priority in their design to perfect integration with the surrounding natural environment. Most dwellings are built beside mountains and waters, shaded at the back and facing the sun, amid rising hillocks, with streams and rivers winding through. Some building plans follow the traditional left-right symmetrical form, with lanes and alleys crisscrossing; others adopt an eight-trigram (bagua) layout radiating outward from the center. Building types include ancestral halls, screen walls, memorial archways, stone bridges, halls, shops, schools, stages, granaries, kitchens, and bedrooms, among others — complete in function, and comfortable and convenient to live in. The ancestral hall is the core building of traditional residences in central Zhejiang. It is not only a place for worshipping ancestors but also where clan members gather to discuss affairs and where elders instruct the young; its architectural layout fully reflects the profound influence of Confucian ethical culture. The decorative arts of Wuzhou traditional residences are highly diverse, taking forms such as stone carving, wood carving, brick carving, and painted decoration. Wood carving is applied extensively to beams and purlins, bracket sets, sparrow braces, main doors, and window lattice patterns; the Lu Residence in Dongyang is the most typical example in this respect. Village dwellings generally take the form of grey bricks, grey walls, and horse-head gables on the roofs; some residences, such as the Lu Residence, have stone lions flanking the entrance, inspiring a sense of majesty and solemnity. The ancient architectural complex of the Zheng Family of Righteousness is located in the ancient town of Zhengzhai, Pujiang County, Zhejiang Province. The Zheng Clan Ancestral Hall within the ancient architectural complex occupies more than 5,000 square meters and comprises two lanes and 64 rooms, divided into a porch, the Shijian Hall, the central courtyard, the Youxu Hall, the worship hall, the instruction hall, the dining hall, bedrooms, a granary, a kitchen, a general-management room, and wing rooms — grand in scale and complete in function. The Zheng Clan Ancestral Hall was not only the place where the Zheng clan held ceremonies, worshipped ancestors, admonished descendants, and met to discuss affairs, but also where clan members received instruction and took their meals; it played an important role in the history of the Zheng clan of Pujiang.
Sixty-four bays of the Zheng clan hall
The clan hall covers more than five thousand square metres in sixty-four bays, allocating space to worship, deliberation, instruction, dining and storage.
Instruction and communal meals
Instruction and communal dining took place under the same roof, so the rules were delivered at the table.
Nine old cypresses in Shijian Hall
Nine Yuan-dynasty cypresses stand before and behind Shijian Hall, traditionally planted by the Ming writer Song Lian.
Plaques honouring the model family
Hall tablets include imperial plaques of the Hongwu period alongside inscriptions by later literati.
The Bailinxi stele
Among the many steles is the Bailinxi inscription written by the Yuan official Tuotuo, recording the family's arrival at the stream.
Commendation of nine generations under one roof
The family was repeatedly commended for ruling the household by Confucian norms, and the hall's scale was built to match that reputation.
Granary and kitchen quarters
Granary and kitchen quarters inside the hall made ritual feasts self-sufficient.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The Jinhua region in central Zhejiang Province was known in ancient times as 'Wuzhou', and its traditional residences are distributed mainly in Dongyang, Lanxi, Wuyi, and Pujiang.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Wuzhouchuantong Residential Building Craftsmanship · Wuzhouchuantong Residential Building Craftsmanship · Wuzhouchuantong Residential Building Craftsmanship.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Among the traditional residences of Wuzhou, Zhuge Village in Lanxi, the Lu Residence in Dongyang, and the Zheng family town in Pujiang are all Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level, while Yuyuan Village in Wuyi is a historical and cultural protected area of Zhejiang Province. In its conception, the ancient architectural complex of the Zheng Family of Righteousness integrates ancient architectural ideas, traditional folk customs, and Confucian culture. The cultural relics and historic sites preserved within it all possess considerable relic value, and they also reflect the historical conditions of governing the family through Confucian rites in feudal Chinese society; the complex has high research value in the history of Chinese ethics, society, and clan organization.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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