Zhang’s House

Jiangsu


To the south of the Twin Bridges, this beautiful 60-room, three-hall structure was built in the Ming era and bought by the Zhang clan in early Qing times as their residence. There’s an opera stage to keep the ladies entertained (they were not supposed to leave home or seek entertainment outside). Also note the chairs after the reception hall. Unmarried women could only sit on those with a hollow seatback, symbolising that they had nobody to rely on!

Don't overlook the garden, where boats could drift straight up to the house to its own little wharf. Trek back to the road via the 'side lane', a narrow 47m-long servants' hall that ends at the back of a souvenir shop.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Jiangsu attractions

1. Twin Bridges

0.04 MILES

Zhouzhuang's most iconic bridges are this Ming-dynasty pair (双桥, Shuāngqiáo) gracing the intersection of two waterways in the heart of town.

2. Zǒumǎ Lóu

0.06 MILES

On the 2nd floor of Shen's House and mostly skipped by tour groups, possibly because of the steep staircase. There are some furnished rooms up here and a…

3. Shen’s House

0.06 MILES

Near Fu’an Bridge, this residence of the Shen clan is a lavish piece of Qing-style architecture boasting three halls and more than 100 rooms. The first…

4. Strange Loft

0.09 MILES

This mysteriously named optical art museum has a miniature hall of mirrors and a handful of room-size 3D illusions, perfect for interactive group photos.

5. Quanfu Temple

0.19 MILES

The amber-hued ‘Full Fortune’ temple was originally founded during the Song dynasty, but has been repeatedly rebuilt. The structure you see today is an…

6. Temple of the God of Wealth

0.46 MILES

Across Quanfu Bridge and 400m east of the old town, the Temple of the God of Wealth is housed in the former residence of Shen Wansan, Zhouzhuang's 14th…

7. Tuisi Garden

8.28 MILES

This beautiful 19th-century garden in the east of the old town delightfully translates as the ‘Withdraw and Reflect Garden’, so named because it was the…

8. Pearl Pagoda

8.45 MILES

In the north of town, quiet Pearl Pagoda dates from the Qing dynasty and contains a spacious residential complex decorated with Qing-era antiques, an…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "china/zhouzhuang/attractions/zhang-s-house/a/poi-sig/1413405/1337045",
      "destination": "Jiangsu",
      "continent": "Asia",
      "country": "China",
      "region": "Jiangsu",
      "position": "superzone"
    }