The Wu Family Reception Hall

China

early 17th century

Wood, ceramic, tile, plaster, lacquer, stone

Minneapolis Institute of Art

This three-bay reception hall was originally part of a traditional Suzhou-style courtyard house located in the east Dongting district near the present town of Dongshan. Built in the early 1600s by the Wu family, it served as the main ceremonial hall (<I>zhongtang</I>) of a traditional upper-class home. It was a public space where elders carried out rituals honoring their ancestors, received guests, entertained family and friends, and celebrated family events like birthdays, anniversaries, and weddings. As the most important room in a Confucian household, it was set with grand examples of fine furniture, hung with calligraphic panels