Xiguan House, commonly known as the ancient house, is a traditional house with Lingnan characteristics built in the area of Xiguan (Liwan) in Guangzhou, China, most of the Xiguan House was built in the Qing Dynasty Tongzhi, Guangxu period, mainly distributed in Duobao Road, Baohua Road, Longjin Road West, Shangxiajiu Road and other places, mostly built by famous families and bureaucratic giants. The ancient mansion of Xiguan is a traditional building in Guangzhou, and the number of existing houses has changed from more than 800 in the heyday of the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China to less than 100, and only about 10 of them still have preservation value.
As one of the important microcosms of old Guangzhou, it has three characteristics: first, the brick and wood structure, and all of them are green bricks; secondly, the gate adopts a movable "wooden shuttle"; The third is the use of colorful patterns of "Manchurian windows". Among them, the Manchurian window is one of the most distinctive symbols of Xiguan House. These square panes are inlaid with a lot of colorful glass. The process is very complex and cumbersome. A Manchurian window alone consumed 10 days of work for 15 people. Because the true craftsmanship of Manchurian windows has long been lost, it is said that the glass of each window has to be reworked at least three times.
The most famous Xiguan mansions include "Liang Senior Government" located at No. 18 Baoyuan North Street, Deng Gong Baodi located on Duobao Road, and Zhongjia Garden located in the middle of Baohua Road. It is a pity that most of these famous garden mansions have long ceased to exist, and the only remaining famous mansion is the small painting boat, which was built in 1902, is a circular garden-style Xiguan house, surrounded by buildings, the middle is a garden, the buildings are exquisite and elegant, the garden is lush with grass and trees, and the overall structure has strong Lingnan architectural characteristics.
Generally speaking, the layout of the ordinary Xiguan House follows the traditional form of the main hall house, which is basically spread out in the direction of depth. Its typical plan is three rooms and two corridors; The left and right sides are symmetrical, and the middle is the main hall. In front of the long house is the main hall, and the hall is the main building of the big house, with the largest area and the highest ridge. The whole hall is red (the main beam is painted red), black cypress (the wooden corner is oiled black), and white tiles (the lining tile is painted white), which is spacious and narrow. In order to make the hall brighter, the roof is staggered with bright tiles, that is, glass tiles. Behind the main hall is the head room (or elders' room), which is the place where the elders live, with bright tiles, high windows for lighting, and there are movable wooden planks under the windows that can be raised to play the role of sound insulation and shading. In these buildings, there are many objects showing Lingnan wedding customs and residents' living habits, and some walls will also have text and pictures to introduce Xiguan culture for tourists' reference and appreciation.
After visiting Xiguan House, you can go to the nearest Xiguan snack bar to eat, but the price is generally higher. If you want to visit other shopping districts, you can move to the vicinity of Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street, where there are many time-honored food and beverage brands in Guangzhou, such as Tao Tao Ju, Nanxin Desserts, Yin Ji Cheong Fun, etc. On the way, you will pass by many old residential buildings that have been preserved in cultural heritage, and photography enthusiasts can walk there to take pictures. It is worth mentioning that Xiguan Mansion is in the same area as Jiang Guangnai's former residence and Liwan Folk Museum, and it is more than ten minutes' walk away.
Admission: Free
Opening hours: All day
