Beautiful, Fun, and Delicious - 33 Xu Fuma Mansion and "Four-Horse Carriage"

In Chaozhou, there's a "Xu Fuma Mansion." This attraction is slightly far from the ancient city center, located in the north, close to "Chaozhou West Lake." These two attractions can be visited together to save time. The Xu Fuma Mansion was built during the Northern Song Dynasty, nearly a thousand years ago, which makes it worth visiting. Following Amap navigation from Paifang Street, we strolled along while taking in the street views. We passed by "Zhenhai Tower," which resembles a city gate with a high base and three stories. It bears the inscription "Chaozhou Prefecture" and a plaque reading "Zhenhai Tower." "Chaozhou Prefecture" was an administrative concept officially established in the Ming Dynasty, roughly covering today's Chaozhou, Shantou, Jieyang, Dabu, and surrounding areas. The prefecture system ended during the Republic of China period. Now Chaozhou is a prefecture-level city. Zhenhai Tower was the Chaozhou Prefecture office, originally built in the Ming Dynasty (1369) but destroyed during the 1911 Revolution. The current building was reconstructed in 2022 in a completely official style. Continuing on foot. I noticed that most old houses in Chaozhou are very close to each other - so close that neighbors could chat through their upstairs windows! The lighting isn't great either. This would be unthinkable in northern China. There's a unique five-story building - one side is straight while the other bulges out like a round belly. Quite unusual! Wonder if it was a "nail house." In front of the Xu Fuma Mansion's gate, we first saw a rammed earth wall with an explanation: This was a common ancient construction technique using yellow earth, lime, sand, and gravel mixed together, rammed layer by layer between wooden frames. Sometimes brown sugar and glutinous rice paste were added to increase hardness, and straw and reeds for flexibility. These walls were widely used in various ancient city buildings and foundations. Having withstood hundreds of years of weather, they still stand firm, witnessing the city's development and serving as important architectural components. Such wisdom! Adapting to local conditions and standing the test of time. The mansion's main gate is simple yet dignified, with inscriptions on both sides reading: "Minister's Residence" and "Fuma Family Style." The threshold is over a foot high, requiring careful stepping. This likely displayed the owner's status while preventing rainwater entry. This became the Fuma Mansion when Emperor Yingzong of Northern Song's sister married Xu Jue. Xu Jue came from a prominent local family and was reportedly very intelligent. His ancestors were imperial guards. He married the great-granddaughter of Emperor Taizong of Song, who was Emperor Yingzong's (the fifth Song emperor) eldest daughter. Thus, when Yingzong ascended the throne, Xu became the imperial son-in-law. The mansion covers 1,800 square meters - quite large! The central axis features the main hall and ancestral hall, each with large courtyards. The east and west sides have main halls and various-sized wing rooms, all with courtyards. There are many rooms on both sides, though small. Long alleys with ancient wells run along the east and west ends. The last row of houses runs east to west in an orderly fashion. Song Dynasty architecture was relatively simple, with small windows supported by vertical posts, resulting in poor lighting. Here, we learned about the "Two-Horse Carriage" and "Four-Horse Carriage" layouts, two traditional residential styles in the Chaoshan region. I understood it by comparing it to Beijing's siheyuan (courtyard houses). The Two-Horse Carriage layout is simpler, typically with two or three courtyards, wing rooms on both sides with large main halls, connected to a row of rooms behind, with alleyways. The Four-Horse Carriage layout is grander, with three or more courtyards. Each courtyard's wing rooms and main halls are followed by rows of rooms, additional small courtyards, and more rooms, creating multiple alleyways - a style affordable only to wealthy families. The term "carriage" refers to the ancestral hall as the center (symbolizing the "carriage"), with buildings on both sides symbolizing the "horses." Hence the name "Four-Horse Carriage," reflecting the Chaoshan people's emphasis on ancestral halls and family continuity. Currently, the mansion exhibits local customs, including traditional wedding rooms and banquet scenes. The main highlights are the "three treasures": bamboo-woven lime walls, stone footings, and S-shaped drainage systems. The "bamboo-woven lime walls" are unique to this region, made by coating bamboo strip frameworks with mud and shell lime. These walls are lightweight, heat-insulating, soundproof, and earthquake-resistant, suitable for the humid, rainy southern climate. The stone footings were custom-made for the mansion, using quality stone as column bases to prevent moisture and protect wooden pillars. We saw well-preserved ancient "Ding"-shaped floor tiles, where horizontal and vertical tile joints are staggered. The Xu Fuma Mansion can be explored in half a day, and it's quite rewarding. (To be continued)