“From Song to Ming and Qing Dynasties, 19 Number One Scholars came from Xiuning County, therefore Xiuning became “the Chinese first Number One Scholars county”, wonderfully created the Huizhou cultural magnificence.” The Imperial Collection of Four compiled in Qing Dynasty selected the literature works of 56 Xiuning scholars, ranking the second order in Anhui Province.

To be Number One Scholar is the highest ideal of numerous scholars during the Chinese Imperial Examinations era. The Imperial Examination System began from Wude Five year (622 A.D.) of Tang Dynasty and abolished in Guangxu 31 year (1905) of Qing Dynasty, during the 1,300 years more than 800 Number One Scholars were selected by examinations. From Song Dynasty to the end of Qing Dynasty, successively 19 Xiuning scholars passed the Imperial Examinations, having composed “the Chinese First Number One Scholars county” legend.

Xiuning was a mountainous small county with an area of 2,000 square kilometers and a population of 170 thousand, then why so many Number One Scholars were selected from this county This is the result of its own historical superiority as the ancient Huizhou government office. Specifically mentions, it has following five aspects.

First, Xiuning had an advantageous geographical environment. The county lied in the south of Anhui, between Zhejiang and Jiangxi Provinces, hugged in Mountain Huangshan and Mountain White. It was the origin of Xin'an River, Fuchunjiang River and Qiantang River, occupying an important status in ancient Huizhou as geography center and the amphibious transportation key position. The transportation network had connected the outside world, facilitated the trade route, enlivened the business market, and prospered Xiuning County.

Second, Xiuning people paid great attention to education. The county was near to the hometowns of Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi, the great ancient scholars of Huizhou. The people were deeply influenced by Cheng Zhu Neo-Confucianism. The government authorities, the gentry and common people all had great interests in education.

Third, the social culture had developed greatly in Xiuning County. The manufacture industry of Huizhou inkstick, paper, pen and inkstone became prosperous, which provided the enormous study convenience for the Huizhou scholars. They wrote books, engraved books and collected books. Huizhou was an important center for engraving books in Song and Yuan Dynasties. The convenient study condition and so strong academic atmosphere had stimulated the scholars study interests and opened up their knowledge field.

Fourth, Huizhou merchants who dominated Chinese business circle for 300 years had made great influence. To improve their political status and win the asylum of the feudal political power, the Huizhou merchants contributed silver to the royal government and the government authorities to return a favor, and on the other hand they invested some commercial profits to education for their juniors and the consanguineous scholars to enroll the Imperial Examinations. At the same time, the merchants' abundant financial resource and their fluidity of wandering all over the country also created the advantage for their juniors to employ famous teachers and study away from home.

Fifth, the Huizhou patriarchal clan society had formidable joint effort. Many Huizhou common surnames were derived from the same homology. In order to strengthen the cohesive force of the patriarchal clan, they repaired the spectrums, sacrificed the tombs, and built ancestral temples. They also paid great attention to help and aid for the poor families of the patriarchal clan. Such joint effort for education was to establish the race study, subsidize the impoverished juniors to study, and reward the scholars who passed the Imperial Examinations. These formed great spiritual inspirational force and propelling force for the patriarchal clan juniors.

Now Huizhou culture has obtained much attention in the world, and the title of “the Chinese First Number One Scholars County” has become a huge spiritual wealth. The County Party Committee, the County Government extremely treasures this title, and plans through publishing topic works, building topic museums and opening special traveling projects and so on to transform this spiritual wealth as the realistic productive forces, and to benefit the hometown of the Number One Scholars.

Yin Yu Tang House was initially an old folk house situated in Huang village of Xiuning County in Huangshan city of Anhui Province in China. It was built in the Qing Dynasty by a merchant whose family name was Huang. It was a typical architecture dwelling from Huizhou Prefecture, occupying an area of 500 square feet with 16 bedrooms and central scroll, the storage facility, the courtyard and so on. Successively some eight generations of Huang family descendants had lived there. The owner named it Yin Yu Tang was with the wish to benefit his descendants.

In 1985, Ms. Nancy Berliner, Director of Chinese culture in Peabody Essex Museum, was engrossed in the research and propagation of Huizhou culture in China. She came to Xiuning County to review art history of China and had an originality to move Yin Yu Tang House to America for research and protection. With the help of the World Architecture Furniture Foundation and the Huangshan city government, Nancy Berliner made her originality into reality.

At the end of 1997, Yin Yu Tang House was torn down and transported to the United States by ship, and arrived Boston harbor in February 1998. In the next five years, the Chinese and American cultural relic experts, ancient construction technicians and specialized carpenters came from China rebuilt Yin Yu Tang House according to its original design. At the same time, the cultural relic experts also conducted the engineering research to its structure so to understand the ancient construction design tradition and techniques.

It took seven years for construction and cost 125 million US dollars. On June 21st, 2003, Yin Yu Tang House was opened together with the enlarged Peabody Essex Museum to American public. It was warmly welcomed by the American people and various visitors from all over the world.