Weishan Xizhu Nunnery

Inside the West Gate of Weishan Ancient City, near the Confucian Temple, stands the Xizhu Nunnery. Local memory traces its foundation to the Hongwu era of the Ming dynasty. In the Kangxi era, a man named Chen Ju expanded the complex. War destroyed the buildings during the Xianfeng era, leaving ashes where prayers once rose. During the early Guangxu era, local builders raised the structures once more, carving new life into the wood.

The architecture breaks from traditional symmetry. It spreads across three mu of land, organized along two parallel, offset axes in a layout of four halls and three courtyards. Visitors walk through the eastern gate to find the Sanguan Hall, then step sideways to the western axis to reach the Guanyin Hall. This physical shift forces a slower, deliberate pace.

The Guanyin Hall showcases the skill of regional carpenters. Its single-eave gable-and-hip roof rises three bays wide, its corners curving upward with dramatic elegance. Beneath the eaves, hanging wooden structures called diaodou mimic the hanging-flower gates of the north, suspended like heavy timber blossoms. Original Ming column bases support the weight of the structure, their cold stone surfaces worn smooth by centuries of footsteps. Overhead, the deeply carved wooden brackets and beams bear the physical marks of Qing-era chisels.

In 1915, the sound of Buddhist chanting gave way to the voices of students when the nunnery became Weishan No. 1 Middle School. For nearly a century, children ran through these courtyards. After the school relocated in 2003, teachers lived in the rooms. In 2013, the site became Fudi Inn, a boutique guesthouse. Today, guests sleep beneath the same timber beams that sheltered Qing dynasty nuns and twentieth-century schoolteachers. The site gained modern fame as a filming location for the television drama Rattan, and it remains protected as a prefecture-level cultural heritage site. The ancient wood still smells of rain and age, holding the quiet transitions of Weishan's history.