Qing Dynasty Houses in Hangzhou: The Listed Courtyard Homes

In brief

Traditional houses of the Qing dynasty (1644–1912) on Hangzhou's list are mostly timber-framed courtyard houses of one or two storeys, closed to the street by walls and gateways. They stand in the lanes of the old city, along the canal and the Qiantang River at Xixing and Changhe, and in the towns and villages of Xiaoshan and Yuhang.

Where they stand

• The old city: lanes such as Jinchaidai Alley, Yuanbao Street and Niuyangsi Alley, and Civilian Residence at 98, Haier Alley, now the Lu You Memorial Hall.
• South of the Qiantang River: courtyard houses on Xixing Street at the canal head and in the Changhe area, such as Yu's Residence at Xixing Road and Yongxi Villa.
• Towns and villages: Kong's Family Villa at Linpu, which once had more than 200 rooms, Qing-Dynasty Building at Machetou Village, Jingshan Town, Yuhang District and the houses at Xiamen Village, Heshang Town, in Xiaoshan.

What to look for

Behind a plain wall and gateway, rooms stand around one or more small courtyards, with timber frames, carved doors and windows and gable walls between neighbours. Civilian Residence at 98, Haier Alley keeps a rarity: upper rear windows glazed with translucent oyster shell, as houses were before glass became common.

All 49 on the list

Sources

Hangzhou Memory groups the buildings by type from their names and descriptions; the city's lists do not classify them. Names and descriptions come from English Wikipedia's batch lists, and Chinese names, periods and addresses from 杭州市历史建筑 on Chinese Wikipedia, both CC BY-SA 4.0.