Look closely at the blue-stone plaque above the main entrance of Liuzhao Lou. Deep within the engraved characters of its name, faint traces of yellow mud remain. Decades ago, members of the Ye clan hastily smeared earth over this 1854 inscription to hide it from destruction. That quiet act of preservation mirrors the building's defining legacy as a sanctuary.

Constructed from a dense mixture of rammed earth, lime, and brick known as sanhetu, this 1,482-square-meter Hakka walled village faces southeast in Chayuan Village. The Ye family named it Liuzhao, invoking the many seeds of a pomegranate to wish for flourishing descendants. They built a self-sustaining compound with three central courtyards, transverse houses, and a deep well that still holds cool, clear water. Four three-story corner towers rise at the edges, capped by sweeping wok-ear gable walls designed to deflect heavy winds.

In the winter of 1942, those defensive walls served a national purpose. Fleeing the occupation of Hong Kong, hundreds of Chinese intellectuals, including writers Mao Dun and Hu Feng, arrived at these wooden doors. The Ye family transformed their ancestral home into a secret transit station for the Great Rescue operation. Mao Dun later described the compound as resembling a fortress. Behind the heavy timber screens and beneath eaves boards carved with lifelike figures, the refugees found a secure harbor before moving inland.

The last resident moved out in 2010, leaving the structure to the quiet erosion of sun and rain. A recent restoration revived the complex. Artisans applied traditional craftsmanship to repair the old as the old, replacing weathered beams and stabilizing the painted murals. Today, the scent of fresh timber mingles with the centuries-old lime mortar. Walking through the courtyards, visitors can trace the physical layers of survival, from the defensive wok-ear roofs to the protective mud still clinging to the stone entrance.