Zhongfutang

Zhongfutang is located on the east side of Shipi Alley in the ancient town. It was built during the Shunzhi and Kangxi years of the Qing Dynasty and is a private residence of the Wang family in the Qing Dynasty. The Wang family originated from Wang Yuan, the commander-in-chief of the Imperial Battalion Department of the Song Dynasty. According to legend, after Wang Yuan escorted Emperor Gaozong Zhao Gou of the Song Dynasty to cross southward, he encountered the Ming Shouzhi Change. His descendants disappeared in the area around Hangzhou, Jiaxing and Huzhou. During the Shunzhi and Kangxi years of the Qing Dynasty, one branch of his descendants moved to Xitang and built this residence. Zhongfutang is a seven-entry courtyard, running through front and back by a long alley. In total, there are more than seventy halls and buildings. It is a typical residential building of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The gate is no different from the houses on the side. Under this plain ‘camouflage’, there is a deep mansion hidden. Some people say that this is the unique restrained cultural characteristic of people in the south of the Yangtze River. Others say that this is the embodiment of the architectural style of ‘suppressing first and then raising’. There is also a saying that in those days, there were often bandits in the Taihu Lake area. Therefore, the simple facade is a kind of camouflaged ‘protection’. Push open the gate and enter. The first entry is the ‘front hall’. Behind the front hall is a small patio. The second entry is the ‘sedan hall’, which is a place for large families to park their sedans. It is very spacious. In addition, the wall door here is quite thick and can prevent bandits. The third entry is the main hall ‘Zhongfutang’. The plaque on the hall is said to be inscribed by Chen Bangyan, a scholar-in-waiting for imperial reading during the Kangxi years of the Qing Dynasty, to warn future generations that ‘doing more good deeds and accumulating virtue on weekdays will surely bring blessings to descendants in the future’. There is also a special place here: not only are the floors on the first floor paved with floor tiles, but the floors upstairs are also paved with square bricks.
Opening hours: The specific business status is subject to the opening situation on the day.

Must-see tips: At present, Zhongfutang is only open to the third entry. The latter four entries are the kitchen and residential houses respectively, and one entry is a garden.

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