One of the top ten charming ancient dwellings in Quanzhou, hidden in Shishi, was built by its owner at a cost of $200,000, but never lived in it.

Speaking of the tourist attractions of Shishi in Quanzhou, the most familiar landmarks are Gusao Tower and Liushengta. Ancient red brick buildings in southern Fujian can also be seen everywhere in this small town, but there is such a foreign building. Although the history is not long, it is rated as one of the top ten charming ancient houses in Quanzhou with its unique style of combining Chinese and western styles. For more than half a century, it has been quietly located in Longxue Village, Baogai Town, shishi city, without being disturbed by tourists. Even during the May Day holiday, few people patronize.

Follow the navigation to find this villa, and the edge is charming. Jingsheng Villa is now free to visit the periphery, but the descendants of the villa owner live inside, so they can't enter the interior. The house where people live can keep a trace of life, which is the best protection for the building.

The words on the plaque at the gate have been blurred and can't be seen clearly. There are two stone tablets in front of the door with an overview of the villa. Walking into this villa gently seems to have entered the years 70 years ago, and I can't bear to disturb it. According to the data, Jingsheng Villa covers an area of 1.565 square meters, with an east-west direction and a four-story building structure, surrounded by five bays and cloisters. There are two guard rooms on the outer wall. This wall is a typical masonry structure in southern Fujian. Although the appearance of the gatehouse imitates the traditional wooden structure, it is made of reinforced concrete.

The lintel is inlaid with a stone tablet inscribed by Quanzhou calligrapher Justin Cheung, which is also the idea advocated by the landlord. Although the career is successful and the family is rich, it can be indifferent and peaceful. I hope that the younger generation will do their best to do what they want. "Reading" and "uncovering wheat" can also inherit Zude and carry forward the family voice.

Gao Zujing, the owner of Jingsheng Villa, crossed the ocean when he was young and made a living in the Philippines. Later, he became a famous tobacco merchant in the Philippines. From 65438 to 0947, the developed Gao Zujing spent nearly $200,000 to build this mansion in his hometown. His wife and second son were personally responsible for the supervision, which took more than two years to complete. When Jingsheng Villa was completed, Gao Zujing brought back a 16mm film projector from the Philippines, and featured films such as "A River Flows East" and "The Reasons for Laughing and Crying" were shown in the open space in front of his new home. This is the first time that Shishi has shown an audio film, which has become a much-told story in the history of Shishi's film.

After Jingsheng Villa was completed, Gao Zujing invited Justin Cheung, a poet and calligrapher from Quanzhou, to condense his family origin, struggle course, life sentiment and expectations for the younger generation into four seven-word quatrains, which were engraved on the bluestone board and then embedded on both sides of the gate as family rules to educate and enlighten future generations. The four seven-character quatrains are as follows:

First, the hometown of the Dragon Cave is clear, and the branch of the Bohai Sea is glorious. Cutting horses has been passed down from generation to generation, and sculpture should follow the old family voice.

Second, travel far and wide, and expand Minjiang River for several years. It is not easy to have money, and it is also difficult to make every effort.

Third, the world has changed several times, and only after suffering has it ushered in security. After returning, I lived in Sanjing, and the house was full of reunion.

The fourth one is Fang. Teach your children and grandchildren to plow the fields and study, and study to uncover less wheat.

When the interior was renovated to the second floor, Shishi began to "liberate". Gao Zujing's wife left her hometown for various reasons and returned to the Philippines with her son. Since then, the Gao Zujing family has never returned to their hometown, and they have never lived in this mansion that they have worked so hard to build.

Throughout the villa, the structure is exquisite. In order to guard against theft, a push-pull iron fence was installed on the stairs of the cloister, and an iron protective net was installed on the doors and windows of the house. The walls of the villa are covered with special marks of a crazy era. Fortunately, this mansion has not been abandoned. The present owner is said to be Gao Jingsheng's nephew. He has lived here since 1960. Due to proper care, there is basically no damage except graffiti on the wall.

The most distinctive thing is these decorations on the ceiling of the cloister. Every two beams and columns are separated by a box. There are lions, phoenixes, people riding horses and other styles. Even after 70 years, the color has fallen off slightly, but we can still see the ingenious design at that time. I guess it may be used to make lights.

Zoom in to see the details of these decorations. A Buddha is riding a heavenly horse, and the heavenly horse is still stepping on auspicious clouds.

Lions step on the earth, I wonder if the name "Shishi" has any meaning.

The eaves are provided with carved animal drip ports, so the roof platform is not easy to accumulate water.

The corridor in the middle of the front is protruding, there is a carved gable terrace on the top floor, and there is a hexagonal pavilion with double eaves in the middle of the third platform, which is a model of the perfect combination of traditional Minnan red brick architecture and western architectural culture.

When visiting at noon, the door was closed, so it was not convenient to push the door to disturb. I can't see the internal structure, but I can infer from the scale of the external building that it must be of great practical value. This 70-year-old villa not only reflects the special mentality of the expatriates in that era to dress up and show off their wealth, but also contains the traditional concept of returning to the origin and enjoying their old age. However, just like the fate of Jingsheng Villa, most of the overseas Chinese buildings in that era and modern times just stood there and showed off unnecessarily. Their owners rarely really come back to enjoy it.

One of the top ten charming ancient houses in Quanzhou is hidden in the unknown village of Shishi, with few tourists. The owner spent nearly $200,000 to build it 70 years ago, but he never lived there for a day!