Xuanqing New Residence, an Exotic Architecture in the Urban Village

Xuanqing New Residence (璇庆新居) is situated in the Shabeili Village (沙背坜) in Longgang District, 40 kilometers to the northeast of Shenzhen city center. Notwithstanding the name of the village, due to the hectic urbanization of Shenzhen after the opening-up of China, most of the rural areas have been transformed into industrial areas incorporated into the fabric of the metropolis. Likewise, Shabeili Village is predominated by modern buildings and factories. 

The mansion stands out for its elegant outlook combining traditional Chinese architecture and western architecture features. It was built by Qiu Man, a Malaysian Chinese who migrated from the village to British Malaya in the early nineteenth century. He worked hard as a coolie in a tin mine and was fortunately appreciated by the owner. The owner betrothed his daughter to Qiu Man. 

The couple inherited the tin mine after their father passed away. Being rich, Qiu Man was not satisfied with only one spouse. Afterward, he married more concubines. The youngest concubine pleased the new mine owner the most, however, she could not get along with his other wives. 

Qiu Man decided to send the youngest concubine back to his home village and build a residence to accommodate her and his extended family. The construction of the residence was completed in 1936 and was named after his courtesy name Xuanqing. 

Nonetheless, after the communist took over China, Qiu Man and his youngest concubine were separated permanently in a miserable manner. Qiu Man was stranded away from home in Malaysia and all connection with China was cut off. 

Surprisingly, despite some damages caused by political movements, the residence is better preserved, compared to the other traditional architectures in the metropolis, we can still observe many traces of its elegant past. 

A three-arched portal demonstrates its adoption of western style, while two side arches with the Islamic pattern further extend its cultural diversity and artistic creativity. The long gable on the top is carved with passion fruit patterns and traditional Chinese natural landscape painting. Two fortified four-story corner towers on both sides, as auxiliary buildings, defend the building from external threats. On the top, lovely carp-shaped plaster scuppers build the drainage system.  

Stepping into the residence, a fully Chinese tradition-style mansion brings us back to the ancient world. Crossing two inner halls, the ancestral hall is located right in the middle, though no memorial tablet is placed. Above the first inner hall door, an inscribed plaque "ju ren you yi" （居仁由义）is placed; above the second inner hall door, "fu qing kao xiang" is placed, though the color fell off a lot. Architraves, lintel and beams are well carved and decorated with ancient Chinese stories, letters, follower patterns and auspicious animals.

At present, the residence is inhabited by domestic migrant families who rent side houses inside the residence, rather than the clansmen of Qiu. The rent is much lower than the average inasmuch as the lack of modern amenities such as private toilets and gas. 

There used to be a crescent pond in front of the residence. However, the pond was filled and a factory was built on it. The actual owner is advertising on the poster that the residence, together with the factory building, is for lease. 

Several-minute walk from the residence, Qiu Clan Ancestral hall is located but remains closed. The antithetical couplet in the gate indicates a wedding of a couple with Qiu surname and Zhang surname was held recently. 

However, where are the locals? I can not hear anyone speaking the local Hakka dialect. Probably no one would know the story of Qiu Man. Instead, Hunan and Sichuan restaurants are everywhere around the village. After the opening-up, people from less developed provinces flocked to Guangdong Province in search of better jobs and became migrant workers. Shenzhen is the most popular destination for them. The majority of them reside in urban villages in considering the low rent. At this moment, these migrant workers have been new locals in the village.