Between 1621 and 1627 during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the residence, which covered an area of over 6,000 square meters, belonged to Li Chunye, Shangshu (a high official in ancient China) of the Department of War.

The brick, stone and wooden constructions include five main buildings and eight side buildings arranged in five rows with a total of over 120 rooms. The huge wooden column located in the middle hall is about 0.45 meters in diameter with a carved stone base containing patterns of kylins and lotus petals. The corridors and courtyards are all paved with fine granite flagstones. The corridor in front of the courtyard runs from south to north with doors on both sides and the entrance on the north side. 

The grand Shangshu Residence, built with a superb architectural technique, remains the most complete residential group from the Ming Dynasty in Fujian.