Former Residence of Huizhou Merchants
Ancient Residential Buildings
Ancient Residential Buildings (Teat Tasting Pavilion)
Jiangyan Ancient Dwellings
The ancient dwelling conservation area of Guluotang is composed of north-south Beihou Street and east-west Liujiaqiao Lane. The outer walls of the ancient dwellings, commonly known as Dry Wall, are covered with black bricks and grey tiles with three stretchers alternating with one header, of which the joints were filled up with cement, not whitewash. Small black bricks are laid on the courtyard, while cinerous Chinese-style tiles are on top of the roof. Inside the house, slab bottom bricks are covering the floor, and strong wood is used as roof beams which are simply oiled without being painted. The buildings are unique in ventilating, lighting and protection against moisture and moth. All the blue bricks and tiles, the deep and quiet yard, the dignified drum-shaped stone blocks and the bluestone-tiled road highlight the people-oriented, simple, good-quality and elegant Jiangyan ancient dwellings.
Jiangyan Ancient Dwellings - inscribed by Luo Zhewen
Luo Zhewen and Jiangyan Ancient Dwellings
Grey bricks and black tiles, deep and quite courtyards, majestic stone drums and black stone-paved roads in Taizhou Jiangyan Guluotang Tourism Cultural Scenic Area demonstrates the characteristics of Jiangyan ancient dwellings: people orientation, plainness, choice materials, good appearance, etc. Luo Zhewen, a Chinese architect specializing in ancient buildings, guided the protection of ancient dwellings on invitation. He said: "Historic and cultural relics, especially ancient dwellings, reserve the most abundant and primary information on material and non-material histories and cultures, just like a historic canvas." The architect spoke highly of the protection and renovation for ancient dwellings in Jiangyan and inscribed "Jiangyan Ancient Dwellings" with delight.
Tile Carving and Tea Making
The Tile Carving for Ancient Dwellings of Jiangyan
The exquisite and meaningful tile carving works are an amazing part for appreciating the culture of Jiangyan ancient dwellings in Guluotang Tourism Cultural Scenic Area, including Qianlong Warehouse, Longteng Sanshui, Mother Huang Teaching Her Son, Tea Making, Tea Market and Harmony.
Qianlong Warehouse, located in the north backstreet, was the largest trading company in Jiangyan at the beginning of the Republic of China. The tile carving of Qianlong Warehouse on the doorplate, which witnessed the booming industry and trade in Jiangyan, has been blurred by much of changes, but the care and precision of these characters can still be seen indistinctly.
Longteng Sanshui
Neighboring the Yellow Sea in the east, located in south to Yangtze River and north on Huai River, Jiangyan was called “Sanshui” in the past where the three rivers converged. There were a wealth of young talent in Jiangyan’s history, who had contributed a lot to the areas of politics, economics and culture. Now, Jiangyan is keeping up with the times and moving forward to realize leapfrog development like a giant dragon flying on the earth of central Jiangsu.
Mother Huang Teaching Her Son
On the east wall in the Huanglongshi Memorial Hall, there was a tile carving about Mother Huang Teaching Her Son. Huanglongshi lived in Huangjiadai which in front of the Tianmu Mountains in the north of Jiangyan. His mother took care of the farmland as a Go board and made chessmen from several stones, of which a half was inked. Honglongshi used to be required to stand on the stones and move them on the board so that he could hone his physical strength and become cautious in his behaviors.
Tile Carving Tea Market
Tea Making, Tea Market
Tea is the national drink of China. The green tea “Jinshanshiyu” in Huizhou is the best of the best, which is mainly produced in Jixi County, Anhui Province. Tea merchants from Anhui have ever created brilliant tea culture in Jiangyan through tile carving, tea making and tea market, which have as well demonstrated the toil of tea making.
Harmony
By taking the first and last letters respectively from the Chinese characters of “lotus” and “crab” to achieve the homophonic allusion of “harmony”, this technique of expression of the brick carvings followed that of wood carvings and bamboo carvings in Longchuan Scenic Area in China, which also indicated the wish for harmony.