The official residence of Shanxi Governor Hu Pinzhi---Hu Family Garden

Hu Family Garden (also known as Hu Xun'an Official Hall) is located in Xiaozili, Yanjiao Street, Jingling, Tianmen City. It was first built in 1899 and was the former residence of Hu Pinzhi, the governor of Shanxi during the Qing Dynasty. It is the only governor's office in Hubei Province, and it is the most well-preserved and largest late Qing Dynasty official residence. Hu Family Garden covers a total area of about 18,000 square meters, with a main building area of about 3,000 square meters. It follows the architectural layout of 'central axis progression, front hall and rear hall.' The architectural complex consists of courtyards and gardens formed by the central hall, east hall, west hall buildings, and their auxiliary buildings (currently, the subsequent buildings of the east hall and the west hall still exist, the main building of the central hall is basically intact, and the garden no longer exists). Its architectural style, form, and structural treatment methods clearly exhibit the characteristics of northern Chinese residences, such as rough and majestic shapes, spacious and bright spaces, and tall and heavy structures. At the same time, it also combines the climatic characteristics of the south with appropriate structural forms. For example, the slope of the pitched roof is relatively steep, which is a modification of the gentle roofs in the north. Additionally, the building's wall, ceiling, and door column decorations also feature Western decorative elements, thus having a profound historical and cultural heritage.