Xu’s Mansion, a Qing Dynasty architectural marvel, is situated at No. 77 Yanyue Street within the Tianyi Pavilion and Yuehu Scenic Area. This residence, characterized by its hard mountain top style, is oriented north to south with its main entrance facing east towards Yanyue Street. It boasts a front porch, where the moon-shaped beam is unadorned, supported by brackets on the pillars, and features a through-beam structural framework.
The mansion is owned by a descendant of the esteemed Qing Dynasty scholar, Xu Shidong, who is known for establishing the Youxue Studio. It was within these walls that the ‘Collected Works of Xu Shidong’ were engraved and published. Xu Shidong (1814-1873), originally named Yunsheng and later changed to Dingyu, was also known as Tongshu and styled as Danzhai and Liuquan. Hailing from Yincheng District, now part of Haishu District, he was a late Qing Dynasty native who was renowned for his poverty due to his love for books and his perseverance in the face of hardship. As a scholar from Yuehu, he remained true to his nature.
Xu Shidong was a multifaceted figure—renowned as a bibliophile, a humble scholar, a poet, a calligrapher, and a distinguished teacher during the late Qing Dynasty. His scholarly contributions have been acknowledged by the academic community, with some stating that ‘after the decline of regional academic culture following the times of Quan Zuwang and Shao Jinghan, it was the Huang family and Xu Shidong who somewhat revived the fallen threads.’
Xu’s Mansion is open to visitors all year round, with operating hours from 08:00 to 11:30 in the morning and from 14:00 to 17:00 in the afternoon.
