Leicuo

Built in 1897, the Kulangsu Leicuo (registered as relics as Residence of Lei Li'an) consists of buildings at 97 & 99 Zhonghua Road. The building at 97 Zhonghua Road is a traditional courtyard-style residence in the Minnan Region. The basically symmetric plane layout forms a courtyard space with a courtyard at the center and wings on the two sides. It is 27 meters in breadth and 27 meters in depth. With a gable roof, the first and second halls both contain a single dovetail ridge with a breadth of 3 rooms and a depth of 2 rooms. The two wings are 6 rooms in breadth and 1 room in depth. The elevation of the building contains two parts: the upper part was built with patterned red bricks (a combination of hexagon and square) and the lower part with plastered walls, forming strong contrast in texture and color. The eaves are set with beam frames with their original color paints fading. There are three gates in the facade with the gate in the center dented in to highlight its central position. The lintel of the gate, the gatepost and the steps were all built with granite. The gate in the first hall writes ""Xi Huang Yan Pai"" with the two sides engraved intaglio slate carving of a couplet. The window casings adopt dark green granite and the rails were built with granite-dressed stones. The roof of the building adopts traditional saddle walls. The water heel is decorated with pictures of mountains and rivers and the front elevation contains tiles with geometric patterns and couplets. The ridges are decorated with patterns of flowers and birds and the two sides of the gate with grey plastic paintings of pine and crane. The building looks amicable and elegant with profound cultural taste and local characteristics. Built on the tableland, the exterior of the building at 99 Zhonghua Road uses stucco plaster and the columns, lintels of the windows and windowsills were built with red bricks, forming strong contrast in color and texture with the walls. The double-pitched roof shows both consistency and contrast with the building at 97 Zhonghua Road in terms of style and materials. The building represents a way of evolution of the architectural style of the Minnan Region.