The Former Residence of the Ouyang Family in Hengyang, Hunan

The Former Residence of the Ouyang Family was built in the late Qing Dynasty as the home of Ouyang Ningzhi, father-in-law of Zeng Guofan. It underwent major renovations in 2005. The residence faces west with an eastward orientation, featuring a brick-and-wood structure, a column-and-tie beam framework, a flush gable roof with small blue tiles. The layout consists of two rows with three bays each. The front row has one story with a central courtyard, while the rear row has two stories, including a reception hall, study, bedrooms, an embroidery loft (ladies' chamber), servants' quarters, and storage rooms. Covering a land area of 600 square meters with a floor space of over 400 square meters, it is a typical example of southern Hunan residential architecture from the Qing Dynasty. Externally, the residence is entirely built with blue bricks. The gable walls on the north and south sides feature a triangular "golden character" shape at the top, known as "golden character walls." These walls serve both fireproofing and anti-theft purposes and are also called "wind-fire walls." Legend has it that during Ouyang Ningzhi's tenure as the headmaster of Lianhu Academy in Hengyang, his entire family moved here from Jieyang County and lived here for several years, hence the name "Former Residence of the Ouyang Family." This residence holds significant architectural and historical value and was designated as a "Hunan Provincial Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit" by the Hunan Provincial Government in 2014.