Min Nan residential houses

The Cai family ancient residential complex is located in Guanqiao Zhangli Village, Nan'an City, Fujian Province. It was built by the overseas Chinese Cai Qian from the Philippines. The construction started in the fifth year of the Xianfeng era of the Qing Dynasty (1855) and was completed in the thirty-third year of the Guangxu era (1907), spanning 52 years. It covers an area of 16,000 square meters and has a total of 400 rooms of various sizes. The Cai family ancient residential complex faces south with a northern orientation. Each residence has either two or three sections, with protective side buildings or east and west wing rooms. The main structures feature hip-and-gable and rolling shed style roofs, covered with red tiles and tubular tiles, swallowtail-shaped ridges, mortise and tenon wooden frames, and beautifully carved beams and painted rafters. Each large house is an independent unit, yet they are connected by stone paths made of granite strips. These stone paths serve as walkways, as well as places for drying grains and resting in the shade. The entire complex is orderly and transparent, with a clever layout, reflecting the main characteristics of traditional Min Nan residential architecture during the Ming and Qing dynasties. language: