Mr. Liang Encheng said, "China's ancient dwellings are more than three to four hundred years old, and almost none survive." However, due to the dry climate in the northwest region, ancient dwellings with brick and wood structures such as Tianshui have been greatly improved. Well preserved, it becomes more and more precious.
Hu's residence consists of two ancient building complexes, Nanzhaizi and Beizhaizi, facing each other across the street. Nanzhaizi was built in the 36th year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (1608 AD), and Beizhaizi was built in the 43rd year of Wanli (1615 AD). Mr. Luo Zhewen, a well-known expert on cultural relics and ancient architecture, called it "the only group of ancient residential buildings with typical Ming Dynasty architectural style in Gansu Province and rare in the country." The architectural layout, structural shape, roof ridge decoration, brick and wood carvings, etc. of the two ancient houses have high historical, artistic and scientific value. Hu Laijin, the founder of Nanzhaizi, and Hu Xin, the founder of Beizhaizi, were both famous officials in the Ming Dynasty. The people of the city praised them as "father and son are sages in the countryside". Hu Laijin was elected as the county magistrate by election. During his tenure, he was honest and dedicated to the public affairs. He was not afraid of power, had clear rewards and punishments, and had a good official reputation. Beizhaizi is his residence. Hu Xin was the son of Hu Laijin. He was a Jinshi. He was first appointed as the magistrate of Linfen County in Shanxi Province. He was later promoted to serve in the Ministry of Industry and became the deputy director of the Shaoqing Department of Taichang Temple. He has spoken openly on many occasions and has been praised as "Rui of the North Sea". Nanzhaizi is Hu Xin's residence.
Although Hu's residence is a courtyard house, it is different from Beijing courtyard houses. Both the main room and the wing rooms in Beijing courtyards are of saddle-frame structure. In addition to the main room and the side rooms of Hu's house, which are of saddle-frame structure, the wing rooms adopt the Tianshui residential construction method commonly known as Yiposhui, which has strong local characteristics. The main house, with its front and rear entrances to the courtyard, has not been significantly renovated since it was built in the Wanli Dynasty of the Ming Dynasty. It still maintains its original appearance 400 years ago, which is extremely rare in the country.
The book "Hu's Folk Residences in Tianshui" compiled by Hu Bohu, a descendant of the Hu family, records that Hu Guoyong, the ancestor of the Hu family who first settled in Tianshui, followed Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang from Fengyang, Anhui in the late Yuan Dynasty. He raised his troops and went to battle in Dingxi, Gansu Province but failed. Later, Hu Deji, the commander of the governor's capital of Shaanxi Province, pacified Longyou and settled in Mapaoquan, Tianshui, which was under the jurisdiction of Shaanxi Province at that time. Nanzhaizi is the private residence of Hu Laijin, the governor of Qinzhou, the official of Zhongxian, and the deputy envoy of the Shanxi Prosecution Department in 1558, the 19th year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty. It was built in 1589, the 17th year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty, and has been occupied by the Hu family for generations. The house faces south and north. Because there is a century-old locust tree facing the street outside the door, the locals call Nanzhaizi "under the big locust tree".
Nanzhaizi is a Ming and Qing Dynasty building with strict layout, clear priorities and simplicity.
The overall shape and architecture of Nanzhaizi is a typical courtyard combination in the north. It consists of a patio, a front yard, a middle yard, a backyard, a study yard, a back garden, etc. It now covers an area of ??about 5,000 square meters and is a nationally protected ancient building. The construction area is 860 square meters, and the residential protection area is 2,400 square meters. There are three words "Deputy Constitution" written on the gate in the Ming Dynasty. On both sides are written: "Given the title of Jinshi to patrol Longyou Road and participate in politics on the right, Li Guoshi is", "The official of Zhongxian ordered Hu Lai Jinli, the deputy envoy of Shanxi Ancha Division in Yanping Road" . The gate is located in the northeast corner of the courtyard group facing south and north. It appears as an independent building. This form is unique among Tianshui ancient dwellings. When entering the gate, there is first a small patio with a screen wall in the south and a hanging flower door in the east and west. On the west hanging flower door, the word "Guifu" written in the Jiyou year of Kangxi can be faintly discerned.
The South House is a standard courtyard house, with wing rooms to the east and west, and the main room facing south and north is the Ming Dynasty hall. The front and back yards are the main courtyard of the Nanzhaizi building complex, which is the main activity area; the east courtyard is the auxiliary courtyard, which is the production area; the servant courtyard and the miscellaneous courtyard are the service areas. This layout has clear functions and distinct movement and static, reflecting the feudal hierarchy. The overall eastern district is where residential buildings are protected. It consists of 14 large and small courtyards and more than 60 ancient residential buildings. There are many kinds of residential buildings in this area, including the embroidered building where the ladies of ancient Qinzhou lived, the Yunluo Hall with local characteristics, and the famous domestic The "Tianshui Ancient Building" and other ancient residential buildings outside are dazzling. According to the person in charge of the Tianshui Municipal Cultural Bureau, Nanzhaizi is also the exhibition hall with the highest concentration of residential buildings in Tianshui.
Nanzhaizi completely preserves the pattern and style of residential buildings from the Ming to the Qing Dynasty, and is an important example for studying the ancient residential architectural culture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in northwest my country. In 2003, after the Tianshui Municipal Museum was responsible for the maintenance, the Tianshui Folk Museum was built, displaying thousands of folk cultural relics mainly from Tianshui, including the Longyou area.
The scientific, historical and artistic value of Nanzhaizi is unique in Gansu Province and rare in the country. It provides precious and rich historical materials for the study of Tianshui's historical evolution and folk customs. It is not only a Tianshui Folk Museum, but also a representative of Tianshui's ancient residential architectural culture. The museum is also an important patriotic education base and folk culture tourism site in Gansu Province. In the early Ming Dynasty, architecture advocated ancient styles, emphasized systems, and simple decoration. The rulers strengthened the feudal hierarchy in the architecture in the form of etiquette, forming a simple and single residential building and a rigorous group combination. The ancient front hall and back sleeping pattern was once again respected and became the classic style of the official residence. Building mode.
Compared with Nanzhaizi, Beizhaizi is larger in scale. Before it was demolished at the end of the last century, there were three gates, with the title "Taichang Di" on the forehead. It was the private residence of Hu Xin, the chief minister of the Shaoqing Department of Taichang Temple. Since both Hu Laijin and Hu Xin were famous officials in the Wanli Dynasty of the Ming Dynasty, the people of Tianshui built a giant archway with the words "Father and Son Xiangxian" on the road between the north and south houses. Unfortunately, this archway was demolished in the early years of the Republic of China.
The North House is nearly square in plan. It was originally a main courtyard with three entrances and five large and small courtyards built on the sides. Now only the front and rear main courtyards, middle courtyards, courtyards and wing rooms of the second and third courtyards remain. The inscription on the beams of the courtyard clearly bears the inscription "Built on the 15th day of April in the summer of Yimao in the 43rd year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty". The person in charge of Tianshui Municipal Cultural Bureau told reporters that in terms of the scale of the building and the value of the overall structure of the building, Beizhaizi is not inferior to the famous Ningbo Tianyige Library, "and the gorgeous and exquisite details of the carvings are even more unprecedented." Nothing less."
After inspecting the north and south houses, the famous ancient architecture expert Luo Zhewen and others praised it as "a typical official style of the Ming Dynasty, a typical official style of the Ming Dynasty". The owner of the North House of the Hu family's ancient residence in Tianshui is Hu Xin, the second son of the owner of the South House, Hu Laijin, named Muzhi and Mudong. He was born in Bingchen, Jiajing (1556 AD). He is the most accomplished member of the Hu family. historical figures. He was born as a Jinshi, and was first appointed as the magistrate of Linfen County in Shanxi Province. He was later promoted to serve as a minister of the Ministry of Industry and became the chief minister of the Shaoqing Department of Taichang Temple. He has spoken out many times and was praised as "Rui of the North Sea". Hu Xin has been very smart since he was a child. An Weijun said in the "New General Chronicles of Gansu - Hu Xin Biography" edited by him: "Gongsheng is clever and smart, but Shen Yi has great ambitions and behaves abnormally." According to "Residences of the Hu Family in Tianshui" " Records: There are many deeds about Hu Xin in the history of Tianshui. This folk song is still circulated in Mapaoquan, Maiji District, "Niustous Mountain, tip to tip, the Hu family has an official accompanying the king." Niutoushan is a section of Mapaoquan in Maiji District that is backed by Xiaolong Mountain. The two mountains are like ox heads surrounding Mapaoquan Town. Folks believe that this is a manifestation of the aura of Mapaoquan Mountains. As a result, the Hu family gave birth to a big man who accompanied the king. The official is Hu Xin.