Pinghu, Mo's Manor

Mo's Manor Pinghu, Zhejiang, is a typical example of a Qing Dynasty official residence in Jiangnan. It was built in the 23rd year of Emperor Guangxu's reign (1897). It was built by the wealthy Mo Fangmei family and is known as the "Jiangnan Forbidden City". The manor covers an area of ​​4,800 square meters, with the central axis connecting the entrance hall, sedan chair hall, main hall and back garden. The 72 houses have completely preserved the strict etiquette of Jiangnan folk residences in the late Qing Dynasty. The building combines exquisite carving and clever defense: Western glass windows are embedded between blue bricks and black tiles. A gilded plaque with the words "Yigutang" hangs on the nanmu beams and pillars, the brick-carved gatehouse is engraved with the auspicious pattern of "Five Blessings Holding Longevity", and anti-theft mechanisms are hidden in the walls of secret passages. The soul of the garden is "Winding Stream and Flowing Wine Cups", and Taihu stones are piled up into mountains. Ancient wisteria entwines the corridors, and a pool of clear water reflects a hundred years of wind and rain. It is now a national key cultural relic protection unit. What is solidified is not only the architectural aesthetics, It is also an epic of survival of a merchant family in the south of the Yangtze River.