Wang Family Compound
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The Wang Family Compound (also variously called the Wang Family Grand Courtyard, Wang Family Mansion, or Wang Family Manor) is the largest of the Shanxi Courtyard Houses. Located in
Lingshi County Lingshi County () is a county of southwest-central Shanxi province, China. It is under the administration of Jinzhong Jinzhong, formerly Yuci, is a prefecture-level city in east central Shanxi province of the People's Republic of China, borde ...
,
Shanxi Shanxi; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanised as Shansi is a Provinces of China, province in North China. Its capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-level cities are Changzhi a ...
, the fortress compound is a tight arrangement of courtyard residences. It is one of 123 residences listed as part of the "Ancient Residences in Shanxi and Shaanxi Provinces" entry in the
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
World Heritage World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
Tentative List in 2008 in the cultural category.


History

The compound was built by the county's Wang family, one of four historically prominent families in the county. The local Wang family traces to a migration from
Taiyuan Taiyuan; Mandarin pronunciation: (Jin Chinese, Taiyuan Jin: /tʰai˦˥ ye˩˩/) is the capital of Shanxi, China. Taiyuan is the political, economic, cultural and international exchange center of Shanxi Province. It is an industrial base foc ...
to Jinsheng in 1312 during the
Yuan Dynasty The Yuan dynasty ( ; zh, c=元朝, p=Yuáncháo), officially the Great Yuan (; Mongolian language, Mongolian: , , literally 'Great Yuan State'), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after Div ...
. According to family lore the wealth of the family grew from selling bean curd. The local Wangs would reach its apex of wealth and power in 18th century after accumulating riches from business and government position. Over the course of several generations the compound was built on a grand scale during the period from the reign of the
Kangxi Emperor The Kangxi Emperor (4 May 165420 December 1722), also known by his temple name Emperor Shengzu of Qing, personal name Xuanye, was the third emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper. His reign of 61 ...
(1661–1722) to the
Jiaqing Emperor The Jiaqing Emperor (13 November 1760 – 2 September 1820), also known by his temple name Emperor Renzong of Qing, personal name Yongyan, was the sixth emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fifth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. He was ...
(1796–1820). By the 19th century the fortunes of the family declined and some members took to degeneracy, opium smoking, and public corruption. The Wang family was ousted from the family compound during the
Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War was fought between the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the Empire of Japan between 1937 and 1945, following a period of war localized to Manchuria that started in 1931. It is considered part ...
.


Location

The scattered site made up of several dwelling areas is built on the slope of the Mianshan Mountain on a loessial terrace and faces a river. The gardens are located on multiple levels at different elevations. The compound overlooks village homes of Jingsheng village, which is about away from the county seat of Lingshi. Jingsheng has a history of continuous settlement dating to the
Neolithic age The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wid ...
.


Layout

As the building of the compound was a multi-generation endeavor, construction clusters arose one by one. The first two areas of opulent residences were in the Yongcui and Suorui lanes. During the reign of the Qianlong Emperor, the Zhongling lane and Hongmen, Gongji, and Dongnan fortresses were also built. The Chongning Fortress was built during the reign of the
Yongzheng Emperor The Yongzheng Emperor (13 December 1678 – 8 October 1735), also known by his temple name Emperor Shizong of Qing, personal name Yinzhen, was the fourth List of emperors of the Qing dynasty, emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the third Qing em ...
. The last residence area to be built was the Gaojiaya dwelling area from 1796 to 1811. In all there are 231 courtyards and 2,078 rooms on the site situated across 8 hectares. The courtyards are two stories and covered by slate gray roof tiles. The main area of the compound is symmetrical and divided by a moat over which crosses a stone bridge. The four circles of walls are multi-tiered, protecting different layers of dwelling areas from outside threats. Within the courtyards are rooms, kitchens, schools, and prayer pavilions. The ornate stone, brick and wood carvings have themes based on folk customs and folk arts.


See also

* Qiao's Courtyard Houses, Qi County


References

{{reflist Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Shanxi Courtyards Buildings and structures in Jinzhong AAAA-rated tourist attractions Traditional folk houses in China Lingshi County