In the Manor of Ma
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Passing through the triple-arch entrance into the large compound, you step onto a street bordered on both sides by a dozen courtyards set apart by high and solid grey-brick walls. High above each courtyard gate are hung two red lanterns, one at either side. Strolling down this quiet lane during the early morning hours, one senses a sort of calm isolation reminiscent of the nation's feudal past.
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Covering an area of seven hectares and with 401 rooms, the Ma Family Manor is one of the few large official mansions still standing in Central China. [Photo by Qin Jing] |
Built during the late 19th Century and early 20th Century, the compound, known as the Ma Family Manor, may not yet be as well known as other historical sites and monuments in this part of China - like the Ruins of Yin, where inscriptions on animal bones and tortoise shells of the 16th to 11th Century B.C. were discovered, and Youli City, the birthplace of I Ching (Books of Changes). Yet the Manor was and is an important site, if only an inanimate player upon a grand stage. In structure it recalls a particularly significant historical period.
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According to historical records, Ma was a local villager before he passed the highest imperial examinations in 1862. His life's path was thus redirected from that of a farmer to that of an official. In the following 30 years, he rose in rank from a county magistrate to become a high-ranking official of the feudal Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Since he was diligent, scrupulously carried out his duties, and achieved much in his posts, he won the trust and praise of the court as well as that of the people under his jurisdiction.
The Ma family complex, built over the course of four decades, is divided by streets into the northern, central and southern sections.
There are four courtyards in the northern section, and buildings in this part were handed down by Ma's ancestors. Ma had four sons and three daughters. When the family assets were divided, this section was given to Ma's second son, also a Qing Dynasty official.
The central section, accounting for two-thirds of the compound's total area, was where the owner Ma Piyao lived. In this section there are 14 courtyards. The Ma family temple is in the east part of the section. Later Ma's elder son, a well-known industrialist, and his fourth son became the owners of the section.
Constructed during the early years of the Republic of China (1912-1949), and not restricted to the established architectural rules in the feudal Qing Dynasty, the buildings in the southern section are higher and larger, and decorated with exquisite stone, brick and wood carvings. This part later became the property of Ma's third son.
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A door screen carving with Ma family instructions, evidencing the deep influence of Confucianism. [Photo by Qin Jing] |
It became publicly owned in the late 1930s. Before 2000, when it was listed as a cultural relic under the protection of the provincial government, it was first the location for a county normal school and then a middle school. In recent years, the local government earmarked a substantial sum of money for its restoration. The manor was not officially opened to tourists until 2007.
Today, visitors may stroll through an expansive complex consisting of dozens of courtyards with grey tiles and high walls, and enter all of the brick and wood buildings. The architectural style is a combination of Beijing building genres, with elements of Central China and Shanxi Province. Ma Piyao served as an official in those three regions, thus the design of the manor was influenced by their respective architectural styles.
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The principal room in the courtyard, in which owner Ma Piyao lived. Dubbed the Morality Cultivation Hall, it is located in the central section of the manor. [Photo by Qin Jing] |
While it recorded stories of the family, the compound also witnessed some very important historical events of the time.
In 1900, when the Eight-Power Allied Forces captured Beijing, Empress Dowager Ci Xi and Emperor Guang Xu fled to Xi'an. They were escorted by their courtiers, including the second son of the Ma family. On January 1, 1902, on their way back to Beijing, they arrived at Anyang where the mansion was located. Empress Dowager Ci Xi and Emperor Guang Xu stayed in the manor for one night at the invitation of its owner. Today, the rooms and the beds they used remain well-kept.
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The Ma Family Manor is located in Anyang City, central China's Henan Province. It opens at 8:30 a.m. and closes at 6:30 p.m. It takes about 1.5 hours to cover the whole premise. The admission is 40 yuan. There are shuttle buses from city proper to the manor.
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Along the manor's main street. [Photo by Qin Jing] |
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