Hui Style architecture

徽商力在经商而不在建筑，衣锦还乡之后，以奢华精致的豪宅园林体现身份，或整修祠堂光大祖宗门面，或亦以牌坊筑立褒奖徽州女人守夫的风骨。徽派建筑讲究规格礼数，官商亦有别。除脱富丽堂皇的徽商巨贾之家外，小户人家的民居亦不乏雅致与讲究。徽派建筑集徽州山川风景之灵气，融中国风俗文化之精华，风格独特，结构严谨，雕镂精湛，不论是村镇规划构思，还是平面及空间处理、建筑雕刻艺术的综合运用都充分体现了鲜明的地方特色。尤以民居、祠堂和牌坊最为典型，被誉为徽州古建三绝，为中外建筑界所重视和叹服。

Hui-style architecture is one of the traditional Chinese architecture styles, which prevailed mostly in Huizhou areas as a key element of Huizhou culture. The architecture uses bricks, woods and stone as raw materials, timber frames as major structures. The bearing structure is wooden beam, and parapet walls are made of bricks, stones, and soils. The central room is decorated by painted beams, sculpted roof, and carved eaves with skylights.The technical features and style of Hui-style architecture majorly occur in residential houses, ancestral temples, joss houses, archways, memorial gates and gardens. The architecture reflects mountainous features of the area and geomantic omen of traditional Chinese religions.

Origin of Name

The word "hui" came from the province Anhui, which is famous for its merchants. The Anhui merchants travel around China for money, after they become rich they go back to Anhui and build luxury houses and gardens to show off their fortunes.