Courtyard of Family Qiao



The Courtyard of Family Qiao lies in the beautiful and richly endowed Jinzhong basin of Shanxi. It is greatly
admired as a very special artistic treasure by both common people and architects; it is also one of the ten
best tourist spots in Shanxi Province. Architects consider it to be one of the finest remaining examples of
imposing private residences in northern China.

The first generation of Qiao's family, Qiao Guifa, started business from a shoestring. He braved Xikou and
beyond to arrive at Baotou of North China's Inner Mongolia, where he finally became a tycoon and
monopolized Baotou's commerce. Qiao family's business reached the top in the family's second-
generation, when their bank house opened in Beijing, Tianjin, Northeast China, and the Yangtze valley.

The Qiao Family Courtyard was built in during the reign of Emperor Qianlong (1711-1799) in the Qing Dynasty, and occupied 8,724.8 square
meters of land, consisting of 6 large yards and 20 small yards with 313 houses in total. It was repaired and rebuilt many times during the reigns
of emperors Tongzhi and Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty and the beginning years of the Republic of China (1911-1949). It was an old Chinese
residential courtyard that thrived for over two centuries. When you look down at the overall yard above ground, it looks just like “double happiness”
in Chinese.

The Qiao family's ancestral temple is at the end of the western side, which directly faces the gate. There are 4 main buildings and 6 other
structures, such as a gate pavilion and the Geng and Tiao pavilions. The sidewalks on the roof of every yard are connected to allow for patrol.
Viewed from outside, the residency is serious and grand, with long yards; viewed from inside, it is splendid and orderly, reflecting the residential
style of big families in feudal society in North China.

In 1986, the Qi County government rebuilt the courtyard into the Qi County Folk Museum that features art,
science, and other things of interest. It contains 42 exhibition rooms displaying a wide range of material
covering subject areas such as years, time, season, food, clothing, shelter and transportation, wedding
and funeral ceremonies, and agriculture trade activities. In total, approximately 2,000 pieces of exhibits
reflect the folktale custom in the Shanxi Jinzhong area.