Wang Courtyard Residence
The Wang Compound is located in Shanxi province, 12 kilometers east of the Jingsheng town. It is a part of the very famous Pingyao cultural town which is accessible from Xi'an. Pingyao is nationally renowned for its "famous city, famous mountains, famous palaces and famous monasteries". The now popular tourist travel route through Pingyao town has been made even more accessible in recent years because a new expressway linking it to other major cities and a new railway station, which is located only 2 kilometers away from the Wang Courtyard Residence Compound.
The Wang Courtyard Residence Compound was built in the Qing Dynasty and was originally built by the descendant of the Wang family (with family name of Wang) in Qing Dynasty, which exceeds 250,000 square meters. In recent times the compound has been refitted consisting of several buildings such as the Gaojiaya and Hongmenbao (the two major building groups) and Wang Family Ancestral Hall. Totally, there are 123 courtyards and 1118 rooms in the compound, covering an area of 450, 00 square meters.
Connected by a bridge, Gaojiaya and Hongmenbao building groups are respectively located in the east and west, becoming excellent traditional building relics and art treasures of China together with the castle-style Wang Courtyard Residence Compound. The Wang Compound itself has often been referred to as the 'forbidden city of Shanxi'.
In 1999 the Wang Courtyard Residence Compound was listed among the top-ten tourist attractions in Shanxi in the same company as the Terracotta Warriors and the famous Xi'an Bell Tower. At the beginning of 2002 the Prince Compound was confirmed as a AAAA rated travel destination and now represents one of Shanxi's flagship travel destinations.