The Hu family's mansion covers an area of ??10.8 acres, nearly 7230 square meters. Our tour route will be from east to west. Below is the explanation of Hu Xueyan's former residence that I compiled for you. I hope it can help you! Commentary of Hu Xueyan's former residence 1
The Hu family's mansion covers an area of ??10.8 acres, nearly 7230 square meters, etc. Our tour route is from east to west. First of all, the first part is the eastern family living area, where Hu Xueyan’s concubine and children live. The middle is the reception office area, which is used to receive foreign guests. The place we are now in is the sedan hall, where the main means of transportation, the sedan, was parked for the guests. The place where sedans are parked and dropped off is similar to today's private garages. To the west is a large garden, which is a place for the owner to relax.
Let’s take a look at the model of the Hu family’s mansion. The Hu’s mansion has two Feng Shui characteristics. First, the door opens very sideways and is very small. We just came in through this small side door. Generally speaking, the way to deal with ancient buildings is to open the door on the central axis. In addition, the owner is a red-top businessman like Hu Xueyan, who is rich and powerful. The grandeur of opening the door is completely consistent with his status at that time, but we I saw that the gate is biased and small. In fact, it is a typical Hangzhou Shikumen. Maybe when talking about Shikumen, everyone thinks of Shanghai, but this is the processing method of Hangzhou Shikumen. The method is to be biased and small. The small door represents the relatively introverted way of thinking of the Chinese people. It does not show wealth or wealth at the same time, and the elegant white walls and black tiles are a hidden feature.
At the same time, the direction of this small gate is to the southeast. The last position in the Bagua is the Xun position. The position to the left of the first position is the Xun position. The main position is the Xun position. A prosperous Wenqu star indicates a prosperous fortune and a prosperous official career. Now the gate of the Hangzhou Municipal Government is also opened in this way, so this is a traditional processing method, but there is a corner missing in the northwest corner. There is a legend about this, This was the financial position of the Hu family, but it happened that there was a small barber shop in this financial position. The owner was very courageous and did not sell this small piece of land to Hu Xueyan.
However, according to Hu Xueyan’s status and power at that time, it was very easy to use very strong methods to take him down. However, Hu Xueyan did not make things difficult for others, because Hu Xueyan himself was a very kind-hearted person who valued peace. Harmony can only bring wealth, so he was allowed to stay. This also became a flaw in Hu Xueyan's fate. It was because of the lack of this corner that the feng shui was broken and the wealth was broken, because ancient Chinese people paid attention to the four directions when building houses. There are four directions, and by combining the feng shui of these four directions, you can become prosperous and prosperous.
Sedan Hall
What we are in was originally the Hu family’s sedan hall, which was where sedans were parked and dropped off. In particular, I would like to introduce the wood here. It is built with ginkgo wood. Because ginkgo tree grows very slowly, it only grows 1cm in almost ten years. Therefore, these pillars are all more than a thousand years old. Hu Xueyan’s former residence is called the first in China. Luxury house?, because the wood is very high-end. For example, we will see rosewood such as chicken branch wood, rosewood wood, rosewood, rosewood, and golden nanmu. After passing the sedan hall, we will see this on the central axis. The two gates refer to the fact that the first door does not go out and the second door does not move forward.
This is a brick-carved gatehouse that is common in gardens in the south of the Yangtze River. Above it are the four words "Cultivation of Virtue, Strict and Xian", which are the Hu family's motto. Hu Xueyan hopes that his descendants will be both virtuous and virtuous, and have both ability and political integrity. Unfortunately, this building The mansion was mortgaged by the descendants of Hu Xueyan not long after his death. It was built with 3 million yuan in silver. At 1/30 of the price, 100,000 yuan in silver was used to pay off the debt and was given to a minister of the Ministry of Justice and co-organizer of the bachelor's degree at that time? Wen Yu, not many people may know about Wen Yu, but when his children and in-laws are mentioned, everyone knows that he is Li Hongzhang. Next we enter the living area of ??the eastern family members. Commentary on Hu Xueyan’s Former Residence 2
We walked into an alley with a stone road. What was even more strange was that there was a gold ingot at the intersection. Later I learned that this street was called Yuanbao Street. We quickly arrived at the entrance of the former residence along Yuanbao Street. We immediately wanted to go in and visit, but we were stopped by the aunt at the door who asked us to buy tickets. At this time, I heard my father muttering: "Do I need to buy a ticket here?"
Walking into the gate of Hu Xueyan's former residence, I saw the scenery everywhere, "Where should we go?" I couldn't help but say it. Dad smiled and said: "Let's just follow the tour guide, and we can also listen to the allusions!" Okay! I nodded and said.
As soon as we entered the main entrance, we saw a tall and magnificent lobby, with Peking opera music playing in it. The lobby made us feel refreshed and relaxed. Then we came to the Hundred Lions Tower. There were little lion heads at the door of the Hundred Lions Tower, and they were all facing me.
Their open mouths seemed to be smiling and saying to me: "Welcome!" As soon as I entered the door, the room was full of lion heads, as if I had entered a world of lions. This Baishi Tower is where Hu Xueyan’s mother lives. I think Hu Xueyan’s mother must like lions very much! After walking out of the Baishi Tower, we came to Nanmu Hall again. The Nanmu Hall is mainly made of Nanmu, which is where Hu Xueyan's children lived. In the center of the Nanmu Hall, there is a guqin. People in ancient times liked to play the guqin. So I played the guzheng! Because I can play the guzheng, I really wanted to go up and play it a few times!
Then we went to Zhiyuan. Zhiyuan is Hu Xueyan’s back garden. It is very beautiful! There are rockeries in the garden, and there are There are pavilions, pools and small bridges. Going down the steps, there is a big hole, the inside of which is winding and winding, like a long dragon. I felt a little cold walking inside, but when I saw the gray stone in the cave turning yellow under the light, it looked warm, which made me forget the cold for a while. Walking out of the cave, there are several small bridges in front of you, with springs flowing below. A few small flowers decorated the back garden very beautifully, and the pond was full of goldfish swimming leisurely in the water.
I heard that Hu Xueyan later went bankrupt, but his life was still worthy of respect from future generations. His Hu Qingyutang made contributions to future generations and became a very famous medical hospital in China. I hope that Hu Qingyutang will continue to open forever, cure more patients, and benefit future generations! Commentary on Hu Xueyan’s Former Residence 3
Hello visitors:
Where are you coming now? The former residence of Jiangnan Medicine King Hu Xueyan. Hu Xueyan was famous as Guangyong (1823-1885) from Hangzhou. Because of his efforts in helping Zuo Zongtang, he was commended by the court and given the title of Chief Envoy, a red crown, and the ability to ride a horse in the Forbidden City. In addition to running a bank, he also engaged in grain, real estate, pawns, and also imported and exported arms, raw silk, etc. Later, he founded the Hu Qingyutang National Medicine Company and became a wealthy businessman.
Hu Xueyan’s former residence was built in the 11th year of Tongzhi (1827) and covers an area of ??10.8 acres, with a construction area of ??more than 5,800 square meters. There are thirteen floors in the house. The architectural concept is ingenious. The rockery in Zhiyuan refers to the shape of Feilai Peak in Hangzhou; the construction technology is exquisite, and the brick carvings, wood carvings, stone carvings, and gray carvings are all exquisite; the building materials are exquisite, and a large amount of red sandalwood and nanmu are used. , ginkgo, Chinese beech and other high-grade woods.
The entire house is made of copper castings and weighs more than 10 tons. It is full of luxury and can be called the first residence of China's richest man in the late Qing Dynasty. In the 29th year of Guangxu (1903), the descendants of the Hu family paid off the debts of their former residence to others. After liberation, it was used as a school, factory and residential building. Due to lack of maintenance, the building became increasingly dilapidated. From 1999 to the end of 2000, the Hangzhou Municipal Government allocated funds and the Hangzhou Cultural Relics Protection Institute completed the restoration of the former residence, which was officially opened to the public on January 20, 2001.
This ancient stone alley outside the gate of the former residence was originally the location of the provincial treasures of the Yuan Dynasty, so it was named "Yuanbao Street" after a street symbolizing wealth. The general plan of the former residence is rectangular, and the interior is divided into three axes: the central axis area for entertaining guests and discussing affairs, the west axis area for viewing and visiting Zhiyuan, and the east axis area for living and living. Enter the main entrance, pass through the gatehouse, and come to the sedan hall. This pavilion is the first entrance to the central axis area and is where guests park their sedans and wait. There are five plaques hanging in the hall: "Promote benevolence, do business with ethics", "Be kind and charitable", "Encourage kindness to become prosperous", "Accept grace from heaven", among which the "Encourage kindness to become prosperous" plaque is an imperial plaque given by Emperor Tongzhi. . There are also two Qing-style sedans on display symbolically.
Directly opposite the sedan hall is a beautifully carved brick gatehouse, with the inscription "Cultivate Virtue and Encourage Virtue" intended to encourage future generations. . We turned right and visited the eastern living area, passed through the bright corridor and dark alley, and came to Rongdongyuan, commonly known as Flower Hall 1. This was the place where the "aunt in the corner" lived, as it was privately called at that time. Although the courtyard space was not large, It is large, but the gardening techniques are superb, and the small bridges and flowing water give people a beautiful enjoyment.
Connected to the Rongdong Courtyard is the Yixia Courtyard, also known as the Flower Hall 2. The furniture in the hall is exquisite and comfortable. The exterior environment is elegant. After seeing the two flower halls, we walked through a small door and walked along the winding corridor to the Yuanyang Hall. This hall is called the Yuanyang Hall because of its different architectural structure in the north and south. There is a cornucopia-shaped stone ruins on the patio behind the hall. To the north of Yuanyang Hall is Qingya Hall, which is 7 rooms wide and is commonly known as Xin 7 Rooms.
The upstairs was originally the residence of the children of the Hu family, and the downstairs was the place where the Hu family entertained guests. We now go out from this doorway and come to the "Heletang", commonly known as the Old 7th Room. It is the main building in the residential area.
According to records, Hu Xueyan had 13 aunts and wives. In order to facilitate meetings with the wives and avoid jealousy among them, he thought of a good way and installed the most advanced communication facilities in the West at that time? A large telephone. The wind is connected to each room with thirteen wires. As long as the door is identified, the ladies can be called. The voice is clear and saves a lot of words. The copper pipes and copper wires from that time can still be seen in the Helet Hall. The seventh floor of the building is now decorated with piano, chess, calligraphy and paintings.
The place we are visiting now is the Nanmu Hall, commonly known as the side hall. The buildings are all made of nanmu. You can smell the unique fragrance of nanmu here, which is called the exquisite product in the hall. It is said that this was the place where Mrs. Luosi, who was deeply favored by Hu Xueyan at that time, lived. Opposite the Nanmu Hall is a small kitchen equipped with a stove, essential kitchen utensils, and a kitchen god.
After visiting the living area, we returned to the central axis area, entered the second courtyard, walked through the photo hall, and the main hall, the Baishi Tower, was right in front of us. This hall is used for entertaining, welcoming guests, and discussing affairs. It is the main activity place and the place where Hu Xueyan’s mother and eldest wife live. It is the most important building in the whole house. Because there were originally 100 lions made of red sandalwood to decorate the railings, it was called "Hundred Lions Tower". The thin brick walls here come in various forms such as gourd-shaped, plum-shaped, three-dimensional geometric, round, square, rectangular, rhombus, etc., which are rare in the country.
Walking out of the main hall, on the west side is the entrance to the West Axis Sightseeing Area. The title "Zhiyuan" was named by Hu Xueyan in memory of his father Hu Zhitian. Going up the stone steps, the first thing you come to is the "Ying Lian Yuan". Now the hall is decorated with a water tower lamp customized in Japan at that time and two large mirrors given to Hu Xueyan by the British. Adjacent to it is the Hui Lian Yuan. Jintang, the upper floor is called Yufeng Building. This building is the commanding height of the whole garden. Standing on the upper floor, you can have a panoramic view of the whole garden. Along the west corridor, we came to Xiqiu Courtyard, commonly known as Flower Hall 4. When Hu Xueyan built the Zhiyuan Garden, he specially invited literati from Hangzhou to appreciate the title. It was autumn, and the partitions were equipped with colorful glass, mainly in blue and green tones. This atmosphere completely washed away the breath of autumn, so there was The name "Xiqiuyuan" came up.
To the north of the Xiqiu Courtyard is the "Suochun Hall", which is intended to keep the beautiful scenery in the courtyard and form a unified whole. Now it has been turned into a tea house, which is a good place for enjoying the scenery and drinking tea. The central part of Zhiyuan is the main building "Yanbi Hall". It is also called the Redwood Hall because all the materials are made of wenge wood. Standing on the terrace in front of the hall and looking across the water, you can see a large rockery on the other side with a strange shape.
According to records, Hu Xueyan thought that the original rockery was too dull, so he asked Izhi, a famous gardener in the capital at that time, to redesign it. Izhi changed the draft several times but could not satisfy Hu Xueyan. The immortal directed me to live in Feilaifeng in front of Lingyin Temple for a month and got inspiration. I designed the current rockery drawings. Finally, Hu Xueyan was satisfied. He also invited four craftsmen from Hangzhou, Wei Shifu, Feng Ning, Cheng Huan and Cai Rongzhuang. Responsible for the overlapping construction, which took two months to complete. The rockery cave is the largest artificial cave in the country.
After visiting Zhiyuan, let us finally enter the third courtyard in the central axis area through the original gate at the northeast corner of Zhiyuan. This is a garden-type courtyard with two halls and one courtyard. The east and west halls are surrounded by The windows, lattice fans and octagonal door openings allow you to enjoy the scenery from all sides, so it is called "Four-sided Hall". In the courtyard, warm stones of different colors are paved to imitate the patterns of the ruins and are shaped into the shapes of cornucopias, ingots and copper coins, symbolizing the abundance of wealth. At this point, we have visited all the attractions.