Jixi San Diao Museum (Three Carvings Museum)

The Jixi San Diao Museum (绩溪三雕博物馆, Jixi Three Carvings Museum), located on Xida Street in Jixi County, Anhui Province, covers an area of 1,156 square meters. The museum is housed in the ancestral hall of the Zhou family, which was originally built during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, approximately 450 years ago. The ancestral hall is composed of six main parts: the screen wall, gate tower, corridors, courtyard, main hall, and the Fengxian Tower. The exterior presents a simple whitewashed horsehead wall with small gray tiles, while the interior is intricately decorated with carved beams and painted rafters. The stone carvings inside the hall are particularly valuable, earning the hall the nickname “Hall of Stone Carvings,” and they hold significant artistic value.

The museum’s collection primarily consists of artifacts from the Ming and Qing dynasties. Highlights include the stone figures, horses, lions, and sheep that once adorned the tombs of Hu Song, the Minister of Works during the Ming Dynasty, and Hu Chun, the Senior Counselor of Yunnan. The museum also features Ming and Qing dynasty brick carvings, depicting scenes from operas, as well as flora, fauna, and architectural elements. Additionally, the collection includes intricate wooden carvings, such as characters from plays, bed plaques, beams, corbels, and supports, along with original stone and wood carvings from the ancestral hall.

The Zhou ancestral hall underwent expansion and renovation during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. Originally, it included the Lianxi Academy, the Osmanthus Hall, the Ancestral Hall of Mr. Rui, and the Special Ancestral Hall, which no longer exist due to historical reasons. The hall’s existing structure, covering 1,156 square meters, remains impressive with its double-eaved, hipped roof gate tower, seven bays wide, and two bays deep.

Basic Information

Location and Transportation

The Jixi San Diao Museum is located at No. 39, Caojia Well, Jixi County, Xuancheng City, Anhui Province. To get there, you can take bus Jixi 3 and get off at the County Hospital Stop (县医院站).