Lu Tusi Office Site is located in Liancheng Town, 65 kilometers southwest of Yongdeng County, on the bank of Datong River in Lanzhou. It is a relatively well-preserved palace-style ancient building complex. Lu Tusi Office Site was the place where Lu Tusi, the local governor, worked and lived along with his family. It was built in 1378, during the reign period of Emperor Hongwu in Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), and undertook large-scale rebuilt work in 1818.
History of Lutusi Office Site
Tusi was a hereditary official positions granted to the leaders of ethnic minorities during Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties by the emperors.
Lu Tusi used to be as the powerful and authoritative governor on the border of Qinghai and Gansu provinces during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Since the Ming Dynasty, Liancheng Town has become the center of Lu Tusi’s regime as an important town in the northwest region. Lu Tusi took Liancheng Town as the administration center and governed surrounding counties and districts in Lanzhou, with an area of 9,000 square kilometers.
There were 21 hereditary Lu Tusi in history. The Lu Tusi in generations worked very hard to govern this area. They ruled Liancheng Town and surrounding areas for more than 560 years, which had an important impact on local politics, culture and religions. They made great contributions to the stability of the northwest cities and the unity of the nation.
Layout of Lu Tusi Office Site
Lu Tusi Office Site was selected as the National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit. Lu Tusi Office Site consists of three parts: Lu Tusi Mansion, Miaoyin Temple and Tusi Garden.
The buildings of Lu Tusi Mansion were built of bricks and stones. The mansion sits facing to the south, with beautiful natural environment. The layout of the mansion is symmetrical and exquisite, with distinctive and strong ethnic features.
Miaoyin Temple locates at the western part of the site, which is a typical Tibetan Buddhist temple. The temple not only has exquisite brackets, artistic carvings and paintings, but also preserves the Buddhist murals from the early Ming Dynasty, which obtain high appreciation values.
Tusi Garden has three huge walnut trees planted during Ming Dynasty hundreds of year ago. Inside the garden, there are also many exotic flowers and rare plants. There are eight stone statues of Ming Dynasty, which were moved from the cemetery of Lu Tusi. The statues in various shapes are vivid and precious. The environment in the garden is elegant with lush and verdant plants. The birds are chirping merrily in the trees, where is a good place for relax.