The Chinese nation has a long history of 5,000 years, with a total of 83 dynasties and 559 emperors, each with its own gorgeous imperial palace and characteristic architecture. However, today, it is extremely difficult for us to see those buildings, and even the ming and qing dynasty buildings that are closest to our time are getting fewer and fewer. In addition to the solidity of the building itself, it is also related to Chinese kinds of reasons, and the establishment of each new dynasty will destroy the things of the predecessors. Therefore, those old buildings and old objects that can be left behind have become rare things, that is, we often call cultural relics or antiques. The building I'm talking about today is definitely an old antique.
Many of the ancient buildings we see today are modern restorations or reconstructions on the original site. Many new buildings are also sold as tourist attractions for tourists to enjoy, which can only be regarded as scenic spots, and have no actual value, let alone cultural relics. (Photographed in December 2019 in Shaoxing, Zhejiang.) ）
Nowadays, the largest number of ancient buildings in China is the Jiangnan region, but most of them are mainly built in the Qing Dynasty and later periods, and it is relatively rare to say that ming dynasty architecture is relatively rare. There are only two complete Ming Dynasty buildings in Zhejiang, one is the Luzhai complex in Dongyang, which has a history of more than 500 years and is known as the "Folk Forbidden City"; the other is the Lüfu Architectural Complex located in Shaoxing City.
Located at No. 169, Xinhe Lane, Yuecheng District, Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province, Lü Fu was the residence of Lü Ben, the Head of the Libu Shangshu during the Jiajing (1522-1566 AD) period of the Ming Dynasty. The whole Lü Mansion sits north and faces south, and the layout is crossed by three vertical axes and five horizontal axes, with a total of 13 courtyards, covering a total area of 2 hectares, and the existing Ming Dynasty buildings are 6200 square meters.
Lü Ben, born in the seventeenth year of Ming Hongzhi (1504 yuan), was a native of Yuyao, Zhejiang. In the eleventh year of Jiajing (1532), Dengjin shi was successively appointed as the right attendant of the official department, the rebbe Shangshu, the prince Taibao Wenyuange University scholar, the Shaobao and Wuyingdian university scholars, and the crown prince Taifu. In the forty years of Jiajing (1561), he returned to his hometown due to the loss of his mother, and later built the Lü Mansion.
In the eleventh year of the Ming Dynasty (1583), Lü Fu was built. The entire complex is equipped with two north-south water lanes and an east-west horse lane, and on the central axis are the car hall, the main hall (Yong'en Hall), the middle hall, the rear hall, and the building. There are four seats on the west two axes, a total of thirteen main buildings, locally known as the "Thirteen Halls of Lüfu". The upper buildings of the main axis, slightly above the sides, to highlight the main position.
Lüfu is the largest ming dynasty official-style residential complex in Jiangnan, the most magnificent of which is the main hall of the main axis, "Yong'en Hall". With seven straight beams, the material is large, the processing is fine, the thickest beam diameter is up to 1 meter, such a large material is extremely rare in private houses, Yong'en Hall is also known as "the largest hall in Jiangnan".
In the middle of Yong'en Hall hangs a plaque of "Tooth Virtue and Mao", which was given by Emperor Shenzong in the eleventh year of the Ming Dynasty (1583 AD), and the "Yong'en Hall" plaque is hung under it, which was erected by Lü Ben. This shows that the construction of Lü Mansion was approved by the imperial court. After Lü Ben's death, Yong'en Hall was converted into the Lü Family Ancestral Hall, and the other halls were inhabited by his descendants.
Yong'en Hall is 36.5 meters wide and 17 meters deep, with a total of 50 circular beams and columns, and its beam structure is seven lifting beams for two seams in the Ming Dynasty, and the rest of the seams are in the bucket type. Dongyang carving in Zhejiang was quite famous at that time, Dongyang and Shaoxing are very close, but Lüfu did not do wood carving, only applied Ming Dynasty paintings, which is very rare in the ancient houses of Jiangnan and has a very high value. As for why the popular Chinese wood carvings were not used, but the paintings that are not easy to preserve are still unsolved.
About the author: Cold and cruel leaf (photographer, traveler, self-media person).