The Grand Courtyard of the Wang’s

The Grand Courtyard of the Wang’s, situated in Jingsheng Town in Lingshi County of Shanxi Province, is 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) from Lingshi County and 35 kilometers (22 miles) from the Ancient City of Pingyao, which is the essence of the folk residences in the Qing Dynasty (1,616 A.D.-1,911 A.D.). Built by the Wang’s from the reign of Emperor Kangxi to Emperor Jiaqing in the Qing Dynasty (1,616 A.D.-1,911 A.D.), the Grand Courtyard of the Wang’s covers a total area of 250,000 square meters with large-scale architecture clusters in an antique flavor. There are 5 lanes, 5 castles and 5 ancestral worshipping halls in the courtyard, among which the distributions of the 5 castles are bestowed the title of “the Dragon”, “the Phoenix”, “the Tortoise”, “the Unicorn” and “the Tiger”. There are Gaojiaya Castle, the Red Gate Castle, Chongning Castle and the Ancestral Worshipping Halls of the Wang’s in the courtyard, which are open to the public as the essence of the courtyard, with 1,118 rooms in 123 yards in all.

As the excellent traditional architecture relics and civilian residences in China, the Grand Courtyard of the Wang’s has substantial influence both in home and abroad, and it is famous for its magnificent grandeur and unique craftsmanship as well as its usage value, which earns the courtyard the name of "the First Courtyard in China", and it was bestowed the title of “the Key Culture Relic under State Protection” in 2006.

Besides, the Grand Courtyard of the Wang’s is the base of Movie and Television Shooting scenes.

The main features of Grand Courtyard of the Wang’s
The architectural style in the Grand Courtyard of the Wang’s is graceful and delicate as well as rustic, which is characterized by 3 features:

Firstly, the courtyard lies on the Loess Plateau in the north of Jingsheng Town, which turns its back to the shade and has the sun on its bellies. On one side, it prevents the wind on its back; on the other side, it enjoys more sunshine on its "belly”.

Secondly, the courtyard is surrounded by the hills on one side and waters on the other side, taking fully advantages of the landscapes. Standing on the top of the hill, you will have a panorama of the whole courtyard: the verdant hills in summer, the snow-covered Town in winter, which is a very suitable place for dwelling.

Thirdly, the whole groups of the architectures in the courtyard are designed not only according to the social institutions and the status of the people who lived in it, but also it applies to the directions of Eight-Diagram in ancient times. What’s more, the design of the architecture borrows the design of the gardens in South China, combing the techniques of the north architecture and the arts of the South China gardening perfectly. Now it is the classic collection in Chinese architecture.

Attractions
Gaojiaya Castle
Built from the 1st year (1,796 A.D.) to the 16th year (1,796 A.D.) during the reign of Emperor Jiaqing in the Qing Dynasty (1,616 A.D.-1,911 A.D.), the architecture clusters of Gaojiaya Castle in the Courtyard of the Wang’s was funded by the 17th generation of the Wang’s, two brothers Wang Ru cong and Wang Ru cheng, covering an area of about 20,000 square meters (23,920 square yards) with 342 rooms in 35 yards of different sizes and shapes. You can find delicate and colorful decorations in the architectures of the courtyard such as carvings and sculptures: columns, eaves, frames and stairs.
The architectures here are characterized by taking advantage of the situation according to the mountain, grand and well-equipped with fine facilities, which inherit the traditional architectural style in the Western Zhou Dynasty (1,046 B.C.-771 B.C.). The two main architectures are in the form of siheyuan (The traditional Chinese building usually consisting of houses on its four sides) in the Grand Courtyard the Wang’s, each of which has an Ancestor Worship Hall, Embroidery Buildings and a Kitchen Yard as well as a Private-School Yard, and both of which share a Servant's Yard and a Garden Yard together.

Surrounded closely by the walls, the whole courtyard is just like a labyrinth with yard inside yard and gate inside gate, among which the yards of different sizes are well connected to one another as a whole, and every yard has its own unique pattern. The stuffs of the Wang’s, which have passed down from generations, are classified to be displayed in the halls and residences of the courtyards according to the feudal etiquettes, recovering the basic historical appearance of the Wang’s in ancient times. There are unique brick sculptures, wood sculptures, stone sculptures in the courtyard, which are rich and colorful in contents with great art value.

Red Gate Castle
Built from the 4th year (1,739 A.D.) to the 58th (1,793 A.D.) year during the reign of Emperor Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty (1,616 A.D.-1,911 A.D.), the Red Gate Castle covers and area of over 25,000 square meters (29,990 square yards) with 776 rooms in 88 yards of different sizes and shapes.

Surrounded by a wall with 8 meters (26 feet) high, the Red Gate Castle is actually a group of enclosed architecture clusters with 180 meters long (196 yards) from north to south and 105 meters (114 yards) wide from east to west, which has only one gate that faces southward. A screen stands in the front of the Castle Gate proper. There is a main street-Dragon Scale Street with 133 meters (145 yards) long and 3.6 meters (3.9 yards) wide, which is paved by pebble stones from south to north, dividing the castle into 2 sections: the West Section and the East Section. The main road was intersected into 4 rows by 3 vertical lanes, forming a big Chinese characteristic “Wang”, which means the King or the Emperor in Chinese dictionary. Some of the yards were built in the reign of Emperor Qianlong, looking rather rough and simple, most of which are symmetrical along the south-north center line. Besides, there are Zhonghua Wang’s Museum, the Painting Gallery, the Treasure Hall and the Photos Exhibit Hall of Jin Merchants in the castle, attracting visitors from all over the world each year for visiting.

Ancestral Worshipping Halls of the Wang’s
The Ancestral Worshipping Halls of the Wang’s contains two sections: Xiao-Yi Memorial Arch and Xiao-Yi Ancestral shrine. Xiao-Yi Memorial Arch was built in the 45th year of Emperor Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty (1,616 A.D.-1,911 A.D.), made up of bluestones, which is 13.94 meters (15.24 yards) wide and 7.36 meters (24 feet) high with 10 vivid and stately stone lions on the base. There are 4 stone pillars with 4 pairs of couplets in each side, with two characters “Xiao Yi” hanging on the top; Built in the first year ((1,796 A.D.) of Emperor Jiaqing in the Qing Dynasty (1,616 A.D.-1,911 A.D.), Xiao-Yi Ancestral shrine of the Wang’s is a solemn and delicate architecture, which is built under imperial order in memory of Wang Mengpeng the 15th generation heir of the Wang’s for his benevolence and feats in his hometown. The shrine can be divided into two floors with an area of 428 square meters (512 square yards): the tombs and ancestral memorial tablets of the ancestors were laid on the first floor, with the statue of Wang Mengpeng in the middle; and there is a drama stage on the second floor, which has very high art value.

Besides, the calligraphies and paintings are displayed in the courtyard by the famous calligraphers and painters in the Ming (1,368- A.D.-1,644 A.D.) and Qing (1,616 A.D.-1,911 A.D.) dynasties. For example: the handwritings of Zheng Banqiao's and paintings of Tang Bohu, etc. All of these attract calligraphers and calligraphers in the later times as well as poets and writers to come here for appreciating the charms of the arts.

Getting there
The Grand Courtyard of the Wang’s is in Jingsheng Town, 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) from Lingshi County 140 kilometers (87 miles) from Taiyuan City, so you can take by railway or by air to Taiyuan first, and then it takes you 2 hours to transfer a coach to the Grand Courtyard of the Wang’s directly from Taiyuan Bus Station. Besides, there are direct buses between Lingshi City and the Grand Courtyard of the Wang’s every 10 minutes. It is open to the public from 8:00 am to 7:30 pm in summer and 8:00 am to 6:00 pm in winter every day.

Travel Tips
1. You don’t have to take a vehicle when traveling among the scenic spots.
2. There are many rickshaws around the scenic spots, which is just at your service at any time.