The Wang Hanzhou residence (Chinese: 王汉洲故居; pinyin: Wáng Hànzhōu Gùjū), built in the late Qing dynasty, is located at 83, Hebei Avenue in the New River area.[1][2] The wood building is in the traditional Chinese courtyard style (四合院; sìhéyuàn) and open on three sides.[1] Built of brick with dimensions of 42 by 12 metres (138 by 39 ft), the structure has a courtyard, atrium, and dwelling rooms.[2] Ornate, high relief wood carvings were made in the doors and beams of the house in the designs of birds, figures, and flowers. A half-moon shaped hall is situated on the top floor of the three stories. The residence has views of the pier and the New River. It is considered a masterpiece of residential architecture in Nanjing.[citation needed]
Despite the building's status as protected, as of 2014[update] its future remains uncertain.[1][3][4]
Wang Hangzhou
editWang Hanzhou (Chinese: 王汉洲; 1874–1967)[5] was a major Chinese timber merchant during the Qing dynasty and also a shēnshì (绅士) or "enlightened gentleman", a social rank that carried part-time government responsibilities.[1][6] During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the New River area (新河地区; Xīnhé dìqū) in the Jianye District of Nanjing, became an important centre for the timber trade with goods imported via the adjacent Yangtze River to feed the growing demand for the commodity in the nearby provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Wang was one of the merchants from Huizhou in Anhui Province who built their residences in the heart of the New River area to service this trade.[7] Outside of the timber trade, Wang was also well known locally for his bold yet unaffected calligraphy.[8]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "2012上海/江苏木文化考察活动圆满结束 [2012 Shanghai/Jiangsu wood culture inspection tour ends satisfactorily]" (in Chinese). 国际木文化学会 [International Wood Culture Society]. 6 July 2012. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
- ^ a b "王汉洲故居 [Former residence of Wang Hanzhou]" (in Chinese). 南京文化遗产保护与利用研究会 [Nanjing Cultural Heritage Protection and Utilisation Research Office]. 19 September 2008. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
- ^ "专家建议：河西王汉洲故居可拆". Jinling Evening Post. 2002-03-23. Archived from the original on 2014-11-29.
- ^ 河北村的最后时光 [The Final Era of Hebei Village] (in Chinese). Modern Express Post.
- ^ "王汉洲旧居 [Former residence of Wang Hanzhou]" (in Chinese). 南京园林 [Nanjing Gardens]. 13 March 2009. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
- ^ "上新河：徽州商人打造木材市场 [New River: Huizhou merchant's wood marketplace]" (in Chinese). Jinling Evening Post. 2009-06-10. Archived from the original on 2014-05-13.
- ^ "上新河：徽州商人打造木材市场 [New River: Huizhou merchant development of the timber trade]" (in Chinese). 南京故事 [Nanjing History]. 10 June 2009. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
- ^ 苏克勤 [Sū Kèqín]; 苗立军 [Miáo lì jūn] (2008). 散落在大街小巷的流年碎影: 南京名人旧居 [Scattered fragments of Nanjing celebrities amongst their old houses] (in Chinese). 河南人民出版社 [Henan People's Publishing House]. ISBN 978-7-215-06417-1.