Dōngyáng

Dongyang lies among the hills and river basins of central Zhejiang. Its craftsmen are famed for wood carving, particularly intricate reliefs that retain the natural colour and grain of the wood. During the Ming and Qing, carved decoration adorned houses, ancestral halls and furniture throughout the district. The Lu family settled here in the Southern Song and grew prosperous after Lu Rui passed the imperial examination in the Yongle reign. Their expanding residential complex became a showcase for the skills of Dongyang's builders and carvers.