Wang's Residence (Wangshi Xiaoyuan)

Wang's Residence (Wangshi Xiaoyuan) Review

Unremarkable when it was built, Wang's Residence is now one of Yangzhou's highlights. This courtyard house was one of many large private homes owned by Yangzhou's prosperous merchant class. It alone was spared the wrath of the Cultural Revolution because it had been converted into a factory. The highlight is the detailed carvings, chief among them the crisscrossing bamboo design carved in layers out of nanmu, a glimmering wood now extinct in this area of China. There's even a bomb shelter in the small inner garden—a reminder of the Japanese invasion. English translations are few, but a few guides can lead in English.