If you think the Hehu Hakka Cultural Museum’s size is something unusual, go up the road to Pingshan Town to the Hakka wei, Da Wan Shi Ju. Da Wan Shi Ju doesn’t quite come up to the size of Hehu’s 24,000 sq. m. but at 22,000 sq. m. it’s of a scale.
The building was the residence of the Zeng clan. The original founder of the Zeng clan was a disciple of Confucius. Subsequently his descendents moved from Shandong to Jiangxi, to Fujian and finally settled in the Shenzhen area. Construction of the wei commenced in 1737 and stretched out over more than fifty years to 1791.
Thereafter it was the residence of the Zeng clan and held about one hundred households, all surnamed Zeng, in four hundred rooms. In keeping with the need to defend themselves against Cantonese predations, the residence was surrounded by massive walls and defended by towers fielding cannon.
After Reform and Opening, as economic circumstances gradually improved, the residents left the wei bit by bit until nobody was left and it became a hostel for construction workers. It has been restored and opened to the public.
Address: Pingshan Lu Hakka Village, Pingshan Town,
0755 2800 1182
Open: 10 am to 6 pm Buses Nos 211 and 365
Website: http://www.lgtour. gov. cn/docc/fgwx-bb .asp?ProID=119
