Jiaqing Hall in Yigang Village, Tonglu, Zhejiang

Located on the east side of Yigang Old Street, Jiaqing Hall was built during the Qing Dynasty. Facing west, it covers 1,078 square meters. Featuring a double-sloped, hard-mountain roof, horsehead brick walls, and a brick-wood structure, the building originally consisted of four main halls and four side halls, all multi-storied. The third side hall was destroyed by fire. Originally, there was a back garden called "Hunsu Garden" with rockeries, paths, and fish ponds, of which only a few rockeries remain on the original site. The main hall, with three rooms, two alleys, and four entrances, has a width of 15 meters. The first entrance, with three rooms and two alleys, has a depth of 6.65 meters (seven purlins and three pillars). The courtyard is paved with stone slabs. The drainage ditches are carved, and there are side rooms on both sides. The second entrance is 0.14 meters higher than the first, with a depth of 10.8 meters (nine purlins and five pillars), and a front corridor. The third entrance is 0.41 meters higher than the second, separated by an inner wall with a bluestone-framed gate in the middle, and has a depth of 4.25 meters (five purlins and four pillars). The fourth entrance has a flat, lattice-covered front corridor with an octagonal pattern and a depth of 9.95 meters. Like the main hall, the side hall also has a bluestone-framed gate, accessible from the main hall. Jiaqing Hall features rich carvings of figures, flowers, animals, and text. According to research, the owner was a wealthy merchant and former county magistrate. This was his private residence, quite large, with rockeries and fish ponds in the courtyard. Its grand scale was representative of the time, symbolizing power and wealth. It is an important part of the county-level historical and cultural district and a key cultural relic of Tonglu County.