Wang family courtyard is an example in handing down and inheriting
the five thousand years' old Chinese civilization and a
peak-usurping masterpiece of Chinese civil residence architecture
of Qing Dynasty. It was built by the Wang family in Jingsheng, the
posterities of Taiyuan Wang family, which in history had been one
of the four large families in Lingshi county.
It was successively built in the periods of Kangxi, Yongzheng,
Qianlong and Jiaqing in Qing Dynasty. The architecture has a
magnificent scale with five alleys, five forts, and five ancestral
temples. Besides, the courtyard layout of the five ancient forts
were respectively compared to designs of five lucky animals of
“dragon, phoenix, tortoise, kylin and tiger”.
- View Mia's travel story with pictures
The three architectural complexes of Gaojiaya, Red-gate Fort, and
Chongningbao are all full closed fortress architectures on the
Yellow High Land (loess high slope), which are closely connected
with each other through bridges. They appear grand and harmonious
with the surrounding environment and comply with the terrace in
both the form and meaning. While in the inside, cave houses and
tile built houses get connected artfully and excellently.
The two main courtyards of Gaojiaya architectural complex are
3-year Siheyuan (quadrangles), which have separate kitchen yard and
home school yard with private tutor as well as common
classics-learning academy, flower yard, long-term hired
farm-laborer yard and enclosed yard (servant yard), in addition to
the sacrificial ancestral hall at high place and the embroidering
buildings on both sides.
The Wang's Museum set up in Red-gate Fort will be the study,
exhibition, collection and development centre of Wang's culture and
also the historical destination of the overall image of Wang's
family. It is the only museum of Wang’s family culture at home and
abroad. The overall layout of Chongningbao architectural complex is
similar to that of Red-gate Fort.
It is 35 km away from the world’s cultural heritage-the ancient
city of Pingyao, 4 km distant from Jiexiu Mianshan mountain, and 2
km from Zishousi, a millennium old ancient temple (the home town of
head statues of 18 disciples of Buddha returned from abroad). Tong
Pu railway, 108 national highway runs through the land of county,
and Lingshi exit on Dayun highway is only 2 km away from the Wang
Family Courtyard.How to Get to there?
