Former Residence of Li Yuangen

The Former Residence of Li Yuangen is located 1.5 kilometres northeast of downtown Lianghe County, on the left side of Jiubao Main Street along the Tengying Highway. It was expanded in the first year of the Republic of China (1911), covering a land area of 978.1 square metres with a construction area of 780.53 square metres.

Facing northwest from the southeast, it is a single courtyard building with a tile roof built of earth and timber, surrounded by residential houses. Originally, there stood a three-bay front building facing the street, separated from the front garden by a screen wall. Further inward was another three-bay hall building. Its right bay served as the main gate, while the rest were used as studies and stables.

Next lay a square central courtyard, flanked by a three-bay side building on both the left and right. Each side building has a total width of 12.2 metres and a depth of 9 metres, with one flight of stone steps leading up to it. Behind the left side building stretches a long narrow courtyard, followed by a three-storey building used as a warehouse.

Ascending five stone steps from the central courtyard, visitors reach the three-bay main house. The central bay contains an ancestral shrine with a warm recess, and the two side bays functioned as bedrooms. The left and right wing chambers were used respectively as granary and kitchen.

Behind the main house lies a garden measuring 18.3 metres long and 10.45 metres wide, enclosed by earthen walls, with another screen wall built against the rear boundary wall.

The whole compound features a well-planned and functional layout, embodying the typical architectural style of western Yunnan folk dwellings: a quadrangle compound with two screen walls. Embedded in the side wall of the front hall is a bluestone horizontal plaque inscribed with clerical script calligraphy written by Li Yuangen: Pine and Cypress Studio in Cold Winter.