Meizhou
City is situated in the northeast of Guangdong Province. It was the residence of Hakka
people after they moved from Central China to
this region in Qin (221BC-206BC) and Han dynasties (206BC-220AD). It is also
the hometown of many oversea Chinese. As a result of that, there are a lot of
buildings with a combined style of traditional Hakka architecture with western
buildings. Lianfang Tower is one of them.
Lianfang Tower is a two-story folk dwelling which
perfectly combines the traditional Hakka architecture with western buildings. Located
in Baigong Town,
Meizhou City - a famous hometown of overseas
Chinese this building was built by oversea Chinese in the late Qing Dynasty
(1644-1911). The inner part was constructed according to the structure of
traditional besieged tower, Weiwu, but the outer wall was designed to be the
western style.
Covering an area
of about 0.3 hectare (0.74 acre), it is about 100 meters (328 feet) long and 40
to 50 meters (131 to 164 feet) wide. The 15-meter (49 feet) high structure
above the front door took the shape of a bell tower, and the whole architecture
looks like a magnificent castle. The outer wall of Lianfang Tower
was designed to be the western style and the building is characterized by vivid
and beautiful embossments of tigers, leopards and deer. The two-story brick
structure has a main gate and two side doors; all of the gates, windows and
walls were engraved with exquisite carvings of animals, flowers and plants.
Lianfang
Tower can be reputed as the most
luxurious Weiwu, and to a certain degree, it is more like a museum of Chinese
and western folk art. The imposing tower consists of over 100 rooms, which are
perfectly constructed according to the structure of Weiwu, or "Round
House". Weiwu, a traditional
besieged tower, is a kind of vernacular dwelling of the Hakkas inhabited by the
whole clan. The Weiwu of Meizhou City is considered as one of the five most
distinctive folk dwelling houses of China
along with Beijing's Courtyard and Shaanxi's Cave
Dwellings. Weiwu is always constructed into a square or a circular form,
resembling a castle which surrounds the main residential buildings. Seen from a
lower place, the Weiwu arose in folds, looking like a gigantic dragon entwining
in hillside. Therefore, Weiwu is also called 'Round Dragon House'. The Weiwu of
Meizhou City is highly artistic with unique design, delicate constructions and
fine decorations and paintings.
Lianfang Tower serves as an elaborate work of
architecture in the 1930s since the interior decorations are of high artistic
workmanship. The various grand pillars, staircase and the corners of each room
are painted with flowers, birds, dragons and phoenixes, and the gilt windows
are all richly carved. The halls are separated from each other by well-engraved
Chinese screens. The spacious balcony in the center of the construction
commands a fine view of the Lianfang Tower and the Baigong Town.
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