On the roof timbers of a quiet merchant's home in Shiping County, the ink seals of late-Qing dynasty painters remain visible, preserved for over a century. These artisans stamped their names directly onto the purlins of the upper hall, leaving a permanent record of their labor before the dynasty fell. The original owner, a merchant named Dong Shuxian, commissioned this grand residence at No. 26 Donghou Street in Yilong Town. His descendants eventually moved abroad, leaving the physical rooms behind, and the home survived.

The structure spans up to 737 square meters, organized as a three-entry courtyard mansion with eight distinct building units. Visitors step onto the cool bluestone courtyard floor, passing through the main entrance gate and a second gate into a front yard designed in the traditional three rooms and a screen wall layout. Beyond lies a classic quadrangle rear courtyard. The building relies on a timber framing system that combines column-and-tie and post-and-beam engineering. Overhead, the main hall rises two stories under a double-eave flush gable roof. On the second floor, a continuous wrap-around corridor features a 1.2-meter-high flower balustrade. The scent of aged pine and mineral pigments lingers on the wood. Artisans used hollow, relief, and flat carving techniques to shape the beams and windows. They decorated these surfaces with peonies, floral scrollwork, symbols of the Eight Hidden Immortals, and gold leaf.

Today, local volunteers and resident artists maintain the wood carvings, applying fresh varnish to protect the ancient gold. The mansion operates as a creative space, housing an art studio, a boutique guesthouse, and an intimate theater where actors perform plays based on local folklore. The historic home remains a social hub, connecting the craftsmanship of the late nineteenth century with the creative community of the present.