Fanjiang Old House Cluster Introduction
The famous Fanjiang Old Houses in Xinyu are a group of five old houses with simple Hakka characteristics, all designed as three-section courtyards surrounded by brick walls, forming a口-shaped layout. The No. 9 house in the Fanjiang Old House group has been designated as a city-level historic site, the Fanjiang Ancestor Hall, featuring a plaque on its entrance reading "Dao Wei Liu Fang" in Chaozhou ceramics, along with valuable artifacts such as the incense burner and ceramic jar inside the hall. The painted walls, wood carvings, and brick carvings are all noteworthy. The No. 6 house, which bears the plaque "Dao Wei Gao Feng," boasts decorative windows, white walls, and stone sculptures in the front yard, creating a tranquil and pleasant atmosphere. The No. 3 house, known for its distinctive carvings, features exquisite engravings on the ridge, eaves, and both sides of the main entrance. Next to it, the No. 2 house combines white walls and red bricks with a pebble entrance wall, representing a composite architectural style. The No. 1 house, built with red bricks and decorated with a swallowtail ridge, evokes memories of its former glory, as if time stands still here. The Ancestor Hall hosts the grandest sacrificial activities of the year on the fifth day of the fourth lunar month and the first day of the eighth lunar month. The Fanjiang Old House group fully showcases the characteristics of traditional Hakka courtyards, making it a perfect spot for visitors who love exploring historical sites and taking photographs. The adjacent horizontal houses were restored in 2021, themed "Horizontal House Dots," and divided into six revitalization areas, including the Eight Sounds Classroom, Reading Time, Art Learning Classroom, Mini Art Gallery, Cultural Teahouse, and Community Book House. Leading the six areas is the Eight Sounds Classroom, which features live demonstrations of eight traditional musical instruments for public experience, allowing everyone to try out the instruments commonly seen and heard at temple fairs in the past. Additionally, the Fanjiang family has produced many talented calligraphers and painters, with contemporary artist Fanjiang Minghua’s oil paintings exhibited in the Mini Art Gallery, showcasing lively rural cultural themes through the lens of shadow puppetry. Furthermore, the Cultural Teahouse allows visitors to enjoy tea in the old houses with a modern twist, while the open Community Book House makes it easier for families to read together; the Reading Time and Art Learning Classroom bring visitors closer to the historic site.
