Li Family Courtyard in Yanjing village, Wanrong county, Yuncheng city, Shanxi province [Photo/VCG]

A building in Li Family Courtyard [Photo/VCG]

Li Family Courtyard was built during the reign of the Daoguang emperor in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) in Yanjing village, Wanrong county, 38 kilometers north of the city of Yuncheng, Shanxi province.

It was the family residence of Li Ziyong, a wealthy merchant in Shanxi.

The courtyard is famous among the grand courtyards of Shanxi merchants for its collection of Chinese, Japanese and European styles, including a Chinese quadrangle, Japanese sliding doors, and European Gothic architecture. Li once studied in Britain and married a British woman. The courtyard is ornamented in various ways, giving it artistic, historical and cultural value.

The Li family gained its wealth through traditional agriculture, then moved into commerce and industry. The family was also known for its benevolence. Inscribed on walls in the courtyard are 365 shan, the Chinese character meaning benevolence. These inscriptions were there to remind generations of the Li family to do good deeds every day.

There are 11 of its original 20 courtyards that are well preserved, along with the ancestral temple and garden that covers 100,000 square meters.

Address: Yanjing village, Gaocun town, Wanrong county, Yuncheng city, Shanxi province

Tel: 0359--4823278