Hu Xueyan's Former Residence

The former residence is small and exquisite, one step at a time, living in a busy city, quiet in the middle of noisy, classic Jiangnan gardens. Pavilions and pavilions are silently telling the ups and downs of the red-top merchants' life, which is intriguing and thought-provoking. It is worth a visit.

Huge and interesting mansion. Almost every building is open so it takes a lot of time to see everything. It is a very complex system of corridors and pavilions so I recommend to visit with a printed or downloaded plan. One ticket costs 20rmb, can be purchased directly on site without a problem or via trip.com (but on trip.com it was impossible to buy it at 2 p.m. for the same day so I bought it on site). The entrance and exit door are not in the same place.

Hu Xueyan (1823-1885), formerly known as Guangxuan, the word Xueyan, ancestral Anhui Jixi, was born in Hangzhou, and is revered as the "Redding Merchant" for its outstanding business talents and contributions to society. Hu Xueyan's former residence was built during the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty (1872), and completed in 1875, which coincided with the peak of Hu Xueyan's career. The whole building reflects the style of Chinese architecture in the late Qing Dynasty and is known as the "first mansion of Chinese giants in the late Qing Dynasty". The architectural layout of the former residence is divided into central axis parts and courtyards on both sides of the east and west. The central axis area includes the car hall, Baishi Building, etc., which was used for daily hospitality. The sedan hall has two well-worked mahogany sedan chairs, and the beams are said to be all made of ginkgo wood. The west side courtyard is Hu Xueyan's frequent garden, Yuzhiyuan, with pavilions, Quqiao, Bichi and rockery. The courtyard on the east side consists of Heletang, Qingyatang, Hemu Hall and other halls, which is the living place of the owner's family. Hu Xueyan's former residence is not only the place where Hu Xueyan lives, but also the symbol of his business empire. In the heyday of his career, Hu Xueyan, in addition to operating Qianzhuang, also dabbled in grain, real estate, pawns and other industries, and founded "Hu Qingyutang National Drug No. His success and contribution to society were recognized by the court, and he was knighted as a minister of government, and he was given red tops and yellow horses.

Hu Xueyan's former residence was rebuilt in 1999, and the previous buildings were basically destroyed, which is a pity. However, it is worth seeing here. Hu Xueyan has lived a very free and easy life. It is not a standard Zhejiang style. The former residence is mainly a small and exquisite. It is still worth seeing.

This place is fabulous. A little gem of late Qing architecture. we got there early in the morning before the crowds and spent 2h in raptures. The atmosphere, the architecture, the tranquility, the residence has its all. we even enjoyed a gorgeous tea in the former ballroom.