Shen’s House was built by Shen Benren, one of the descendants of the legendary Qing dynasty businessman Shen Wansan, in the seventh year of Emperor Qianlong’s reign (1742). According to Zhouzhuang historical documents, Shen Benren was originally something of a good-for-nothing from a wealthy family, until the time that his father died.
At that time, it was widely believed that he would lose the family fortune within three years. Hearing the rumor, he parted company with his playful associates, giving them money and saying: “From now on I have to support my family; I can no longer play with you.”
From then on, he spurned all of his former friends and concentrated on developing his agricultural interests. He enlarged Shen’s House, built hundreds of houses, and accumulated thousands of acres of fertile farmland, making his family rich and powerful.
Shen’s House is made up of three sections. The front part is the water wall and riverside, which is a feature unique to China’s southern water towns and originally served to allow family members to go boating and wash clothes.
The middle part of the building includes a gate-house, a tea hall and the main hall for receiving and dispatching guests. It was also the scene for wedding ceremonies, funerals and conferences.
The back part of the structure is the living area. The whole hall is a typical “waiting room front, living room back” structure. The buildings and houses are all connected by arcades and bridges. Together they form an integrated building with many interconnected passages, something quite rare in the architecture of the time.
Among the seven inner halls, the 170 Song Mao Hall lies at the very center. It is 11-meter wide, 11-meter long and features arcades both at the front and at the back. The front side of the hall is a square. By each side of the hall there are secondary rooms, which are connected with the back rooms through the arcades. The beam columns inside the hall are large and strong, sculptured with depictions of boas, dragons, kylins and other traditional Chinese symbols.
High aloft in the center of the hall hangs a tablet with three golden Chinese characters. These are the “Song Mao Tang” (Song Mao Hall) and were written by Zhang Qian, a leading scholar in the imperial exams at the end of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). The arcade that faces the main hall is the largest of the five. It is six meters high and covered with upturned eaves. A number of different features, including characters, animals and architecture from traditional Chinese literature are vividly carved around the walls.
The main hall has been designed in a natural and powerful style and is decorated with the traditional patterns of the Ming dynasty. The floor is made up of wide and robust pinewood, a timely reminder of the hard work that went into building this unique residence. By contrast to the style of the front hall, the windows and railings are exquisite and owe much to Central China’s Anhui style.
Shen’s House was badly damaged during the Cultural Revolution (1966-76). Restoration work on the property began in 1983. The Song Mao Tang, the tea hall, and the main hall were all refurbished, the arcades were reopened, and the back halls were reconnected with the shining river. The restored Shen’s House was once again re-stored to its Qing Dynasty glory days and subsequently became a popular tourist attraction.
In the fifth level of Shen’s House, there is a sculpture of Shen Wansan, the well-known southern China entrepreneur. A treasure bowl is, quite appropriately, set in front of him. People from all around the world have now seen the image of this rich man who lived some 600 years ago. Many have learned from his example or just wished for a share in his good fortune. Regardless of their background, everybody who steps into Shen’s House seems to develop a strong interest in the legendary Shen Wansan.
