Gao Family Ancestral Residence 🏮

📍 Address: No. 11 Shengli Road
🕰️ Construction Date: 1897 (23rd Year of Guangxu Period, Qing Dynasty)
🏛️ Architectural Type: Group of Modern Folk Houses

Historical Evolution

The Gao Family Ancestral Residence was originally built in the late Qing Dynasty, constructed by the prominent local merchant family of Gao. The Gao clan began their fortune in the salt trade and later expanded into finance and real estate, becoming a key member of the regional chamber of commerce. Having endured over a century of storms, the residence bears witness to the rise and fall of modern Jiangnan commercial civilization, serving as a crucial physical relic for studying the scholar-merchant culture of Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces from the late Qing to the Republican era.

Architectural Features

The residence faces south with north orientation, covering approximately 2,400 square meters, featuring a classic Jiangnan courtyard layout divided into three main courtyards: the front hall, central hall, and rear sleeping quarters, complemented by side wings and a garden. The main buildings are constructed using brick and wood, with roofs covered in blue tiles. The roof beams are intricately carved, and doors and windows are adorned with auspicious motifs such as “Fu” (fortune) and “Shou” (longevity). The entrance gate features exquisite stone carvings inscribed with the four characters “Geng Du Chuan Jia” (Agriculture and scholarship passed down through generations), reflecting the family’s Confucian values.

Cultural Relics and Significance

Inside the residence, more than ten pieces of Qing Dynasty furniture, three volumes of handwritten genealogical manuscripts, and dozens of Republican-era ledgers and contractual documents are preserved—each classified as first-grade cultural relics. Among them, a solid nanmu (sandalwood) master’s chair has been designated a provincial-level key protected cultural artifact. The entire structure remains remarkably intact, making it one of the rare private residences in East China that has not undergone major renovations—a site of exceptional historical, artistic, and scientific value.

Cultural Essence

Beyond illustrating traditional clan systems and ritual spatial arrangements, the Gao Family Ancestral Residence embodies the family’s enduring ethos of “valuing righteousness over profit, and maintaining thrift and diligence in household management.” Its courtyard layout subtly reflects the philosophical concept of “harmony between heaven and humanity” from the I Ching, representing a quintessential fusion of Jiangnan humanistic thought and architectural wisdom.

Visitor Information

• 🕒 Opening Hours: 9:00–16:30, Tuesday to Sunday (closed Mondays)
• 🎫 Admission: Free (reservation required)
• 🚶‍♂️ Guided Services: Audio guides and live guided tours available (30 minutes per session)
• 📌 Recommended Visit Duration: 1.5 hours
• 📍 Transportation: 500 meters walk from Exit B of Shengli Station on Metro Line 2; Bus Lines 12 and 35 stop at “Shengli Road Entrance”

✅ The site is listed as a National Key Cultural Heritage Unit—any unauthorized alterations to the building structure are strictly prohibited.
📝 Visitors are requested to remain quiet and refrain from touching display cases or historic architectural elements.