[2024 Wanrong Attraction] Travel Guide for Li's Grand Courtyard (Updated Sep)
No.5 of Best Things to Do in Yuncheng
Historical Architectures
Address:
Wanrong, Yuncheng, Shanxi, China
Opening times:
Opens at 08:00-18:00(Admission ends at 17:30)Open
Recommended sightseeing time:
2-3 hours
Phone:
0359-4823333,0359-4823288
Visit the Li Family Courtyard and learn about the culture of the Shanxi merchants over the past century.
Learn about the culture of the Shanxi merchants over the past century. Visit the Li Family Courtyard and learn about the culture of the Shanxi merchants over the past century.
The Shanxi Li Family Courtyard is a place full of history and culture.
This was the home of Li Ziyong, the richest man in southern Shanxi during the Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China, and was built during the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty.
Together with the Qiao Family Courtyard and the Wang Family Courtyard, it is known as the "Three Lotus of Shanxi Merchants". The folk song "Qiao Family is famous, Wang Family has a courtyard, Li Family is kind" is popular in Yanjing Village, which shows the uniqueness of the Li Family Courtyard.
The overall building is a vertical well-type wealth-gathering quadrangle, which also incorporates the Huizhou architectural style. Some courtyards are "Gothic" buildings, which are a blend of north and south, and a combination of Chinese and Western Shanxi merchants' courtyards.
The architecture and decoration of the Li Family Courtyard reflect the values of the owner's harmony and good deeds.
The couplet on the gate: "Three provinces set up chess boards in front of the stage, and five clouds gather in the depths of the descendants", and the horizontal batch "Xiu De Wei Shan" expresses the expectations of future generations.
The word "Fu" on the screen wall is composed of patterns such as deer, cranes, and peaches, implying that the "Three Stars of Fortune, Lu, and Shou" are shining, and the surrounding bat patterns imply "Fu is in front of you".
The architectural style of the courtyard combines Chinese and Western elements, with both Chinese-style quadrangles and Western-style buildings and Japanese-style sliding doors, reflecting the owner's openness and tolerance.
The owner of the house, Li Ziyong's father, Li Daoxing, once generously donated money to save many refugees in Wanquan County, and was respected by the people as "Li Shanren". It is said that at that time, he not only donated a lot of money and food, but also personally led his family to the disaster area to help the victims rebuild their homes. The local prefect issued him a plaque of "urgency and righteousness" to commend his good deeds.
LunaDreamweaver4242424
【Shanxi Style】Li Family Courtyard: A Treasure of Sino-Western Architectural Fusion
🏰【Shanxi Style】Li Family Courtyard: A Treasure of Sino-Western Architectural Fusion🏰
🌿In Wanrong, Shanxi, there is a courtyard that not only carries the profound history of Shanxi but also integrates the essence of southern and northern architecture. It is the Li Family Courtyard—one of the four great courtyards of Shanxi, renowned alongside the Wang Family Courtyard and the Qiao Family Courtyard, with the saying "Qiao Family for fame, Wang Family for the courtyard, Li Family for benevolence."
🏡The Li Family Courtyard is an architectural marvel that combines the residential style of southern Shanxi, the Huizhou architectural features of the south, and the courtyard layout of northern merchants. Even more astonishing is the incorporation of Gothic architectural elements from the West, thanks to the international vision of the family members, creating a unique architectural style.
🎨Walking into the Li Family Courtyard feels like traveling through time, with every step being an exploration of history. The old brick carvings, painted beams, and intricate details reveal the exquisite craftsmanship of the artisans and the cultural heritage of the family. Every brick and tile here tells the story of the Li family, waiting for you to savor.
📸If you love photography, this place is definitely a paradise for you. Whether in Hanfu or cheongsam, you can find the best background here. Put on your traditional attire and let the camera capture these beautiful moments that transcend time.
📍【Travel Tips】
📌Location: Wanrong, Shanxi, the Li Family Courtyard awaits your exploration.
💰Tickets: Regular tickets are 30 yuan per person. Friends with household registration in Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Henan might consider purchasing the Yuncheng Scenic Area Annual Pass for 128 yuan per person, allowing access to more attractions.
🍞Suggestion: There are no food and drink supplies inside the courtyard, so remember to bring water and food to enjoy a complete tour experience.
⏰Duration: It is recommended to reserve 2-3 hours to slow down and appreciate every detail.
🏞️Come to the Li Family Courtyard, experience the charm of Sino-Western architectural fusion, let the weight of history and the lightness of modernity intertwine here, and embark on an unforgettable cultural journey.
Charlotte12 Rodriguez - Charlie
Explore the Mysterious Cultural Heritage - The Li Family Mansion
The Li family was the richest family in southern Shanxi towards the end of the Qing Dynasty. The Li Family Mansion is a group of ancient buildings with rich historical and cultural value, located in Yanjing Village, Wanrong County, Yuncheng City. It was initially built during the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty, and the mansion is famous for its unique architectural style and profound family culture. The original complex had 20 courtyards, with 11 still existing today, including ancestral halls, gardens, etc. The entire complex adopts a vertical shaft-style layout for gathering wealth, typical of the Siheyuan (courtyard house). The brick carvings, stone carvings, and wood carvings used for decoration in the mansion are also extremely unique. These carvings are not only exquisitely crafted but also have profound meanings, fully displaying the auspicious connotations and beautiful visions of the culture of southern Shanxi.
The architectural style of the Li Family Mansion is diverse, integrating traditional courtyard houses, Huizhou-style architecture, and European elements, reflecting the blend of northern and southern Chinese cultures as well as the combination of Chinese and Western cultures. Particularly noteworthy is the brick carving of the character '善' (good) in the mansion's shadow wall, composed of 365 different calligraphic styles of the character. This unique design makes it a unique cultural landscape in the country.
The Li Family Mansion
NIKOLAS HORN
The Li Family Mansion
The Li Family Mansion, one of the three great mansions of Shanxi, was built during the Daoguang period. It covers an area of over 100,000 square meters, with 20 courtyards. It not only embodies the style of northern courtyards but also draws on the architecture of the southern Hui style and the essence of European Gothic architecture. It is a blend of Chinese and Western, integrating north and south, and possesses extremely high cultural and artistic value.
headlinewide
Li Family Mansion in Yuncheng, Shanxi Province!
The Li Family Mansion in Wanneng, Yuncheng, Shanxi, was the residence of Li Ziyong, the richest man in southern Shanxi during the Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China period. It was built during the Daoguang era of the Qing Dynasty and is located in Yanjing Village, Wanneng County. Together with the Qiao Family Courtyard and the Wang Family Courtyard, it is known as one of the 'Three Lotus Seeds of Jin Merchants', with the saying 'Visit the Qiao Family for its fame, the Wang Family for its courtyard, and the Li Family for its virtue'. The overall architecture is a vertical well-style Shanxi courtyard designed for gathering wealth, which also incorporates Huizhou architectural style. As Li Ziyong once studied in England, some of the courtyards feature 'Gothic' architecture. It is a grand Jin merchant's courtyard that blends northern and southern Chinese styles, Chinese and Western elements, and is unparalleled in Shanxi. It encapsulates the profound cultural heritage of the Han nationality and possesses extremely high cultural and artistic value. The brick carvings, stone carvings, and wood carvings inside the mansion are particularly exquisite and worth seeing.
SophiaCunningham28
The Li Family Mansion in Wannian, Yuncheng, is a household of great virtue, featuring a courtyard that combines Chinese and Western architectural styles
I'm preparing to check off all the attractions included in the Yuncheng tourism annual pass, and I've already visited most of them. I plan to create a series collection to see which attractions are worth visiting and which are not, how much time it takes to tour each site, and whether there are any additional costs involved. Stay tuned for my updates if you're interested❤️❤️❤️
🧡Touring time is about 2-3 hours
💛Free admission with the tourism annual pass
💙Convenient parking, parking lot 🅿️ charges 10 yuan for cars
💚You can finish the tour in just one morning, and it's definitely worth a visit. The brick carvings and wood carvings inside are exquisite, and the side exhibition hall introduces the charitable deeds and the history of the Li family's rise to wealth.
A few points that made a deep impression on me are:
The screen wall with 365 'goodness' characters, composed of 365 different fonts of the character for 'goodness', forms a grand screen wall that looks very spectacular, truly befitting a family known for its virtue.
The ancient anti-theft door, which is beautifully designed and user-friendly, makes one marvel at the wisdom of the ancients. The door is full of mechanisms, and it feels even more secure than modern security doors.
Mrs. Mai's European-style two-story loft, a feature not found in other Jin merchant mansions, combines Chinese and Western architecture, with southern Shanxi cave dwellings and European Gothic-style gatehouses, creating a unique blend.
The carvings on several gatehouses near the private school, with wood carvings on several layers, each representing different auspicious meanings: good fortune, many sons and blessings, five fortunes coming to the door... Make sure to take a close look at the patterns when you visit, they are very interesting.
Another surprising point is the large area of courtyards at the back, each courtyard actually has small doors connecting to each other!!!
3ll@ R@m.r3z
Li Family Mansion - The Home of Good Deeds
The Li Family Mansion was established during the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty, located in Yanjing Village, Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province. The existing ancient courtyard complexes cover 11 groups, occupying an area of 125 mu. It is known as one of the 'Three Great Detianlian of Jin Merchants' along with the Qiao Family Mansion and the Wang Family Mansion, and there is a saying that 'Qiao Family is known for its fame, Wang Family for its courtyard, and Li Family for its goodness'.
The overall architecture of the Li Family Mansion's ancient building complex is a typical Shanxi courtyard in the vertical well style, which also incorporates the architectural style of Huizhou. Part of the courtyard is 'Gothic' architecture due to the descendants of the Li family studying in the United Kingdom, highlighting the characteristics of the integration of north and south, and the combination of Chinese and Western styles. Each courtyard, while dignified and splendid, is also highly functional, reflecting the simplicity and hard work of the Li family everywhere.
Upon entering the Li Family Mansion scenic area, the first thing that catches the eye is the 'Path of Goodness' hung with red lanterns inscribed with the character 'Good'. The culture of goodness is evident throughout the Li Family Mansion, and the saying 'A family that accumulates goodness will surely be blessed' is perhaps the main reason why the Li Family Mansion has been able to survive the wars and preserve its integrity to this day.
Grace.Moore^13
The most worthwhile ancient building to visit in Shanxi - Li Family Mansion
Li Family Mansion is a courtyard of the wealthy Li family of Jin merchants, which was established during the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty. The entire building is a well-style wealth-gathering Siheyuan, which also incorporates Huizhou architectural style. The brick carvings, stone carvings, wood carvings and iron art decorations of the building vividly reflect the folk cultural characteristics of southern Shanxi. Because the representative of the family, Li Ziyong, once studied in the UK and married a British woman, some of the buildings have incorporated European "Gothic" architectural elements, thus reflecting the artistic characteristics of the integration of Chinese and Western cultures. It is a unique flower among the national characteristic dwellings. The Li family is the richest in southern Shanxi, rich but not arrogant, rich but not extravagant, rich but able to help the world. Every time there is a disaster, the Li family can help the victims with all their family wealth, and they are deeply loved by the people because they do good deeds. Generations have successively repaired virtues and done good deeds.
The explanation mainly introduced us to the life experience of Li Ziyong. Li Ziyong, named Daohang, is the core figure of the 15th generation of the Li family with the word "Dao", and one of the main representatives of the Li family. Li Ziyong studied Chinese studies when he was young, and then studied textile in the UK. After returning to China, he took over the family business, founded industries to help the weak and enrich the people, and also founded education and participated in politics. He personally experienced the history of the Li family from prosperity to decline, and also witnessed the development of Chinese national industry and commerce.
I specifically studied that Li Ziyong married five wives in his life,
In 1899, he married Wang, and in 1900, Wang died after giving birth to a daughter. In 1901, he married Dantai, and in 1904, Dantai voluntarily left because she had no offspring. In 1907, Li Ziyong went to study in the UK, and in 1911, he married a British woman, Mai. In 1914, he returned to China with Mai, and in 1918, Mai died. In 1926, Dantai died of illness and he married Hu. In 1946, Hu died of illness, and in 1947, he married Wang. In 1965, Li Ziyong died of illness at the age of 86. This life experience is really rich and full of stories.
What impressed me most about the entire mansion was the courtyard he built for his "foreign daughter-in-law". At that time, everyone else lived in cave dwellings, but he built a new house for Mai and repaired Gothic windows and iron beds. It was true love. There is also a "anti-theft door" with six locks, which is very powerful. The various small mechanisms are really wonderful, and the big characters written on the wall and then erased are also a witness to history.
HarmoniousGetaways
Yan Jing Li Family Mansion in Wanrong, Shanxi
The Li Family Mansion is the home of Li Ziyong, the richest man in southern Shanxi from the Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China. It was built during the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty, located in Yanjing Village, Wanrong County, and is known as the 'Three Lotus of Jin Merchants' along with Qiao Family Mansion and Wang Family Mansion, with the saying 'Qiao's for fame, Wang's for courtyard, Li's for kindness'. The overall architecture is a vertical well-type wealth-gathering Shanxi Siheyuan, which also incorporates Huizhou architectural style. Because Li Ziyong studied in the UK, some courtyards are 'Gothic' architecture, which is a blend of north and south, Chinese and Western, unparalleled Jin merchant mansion in Shanxi, condensing the profound cultural heritage of the Han nationality, with extremely high cultural and artistic value. The Li Family Mansion scenic area is 38 kilometers away from Yuncheng city, and is a national AAAA level tourist attraction and a national key cultural relics protection unit. There were originally 20 groups of courtyards and 280 rooms, and now there are 11 groups of courtyards and 146 rooms. The Li Family Mansion (Hedong Folk Museum) and the Wanrong Joke Expo Park cover nearly 1,000 acres, with a construction area of 100,000 square meters. Its scale is grand, simple and elegant, with ingenious conception, exuding the spirit, temperament, and charm of the traditional culture of the Han nationality.
VictoriaMcDermott99
If you go to Yuncheng, you can't miss the Li Family Mansion
Touring Shanxi, an important project is to see the mansions.
Qiao Family Mansion, Wang Family Mansion, Cao Family Mansion, etc., are too numerous to mention.
In Yuncheng, southern Shanxi, there is a relatively unknown Li Family Mansion. This mansion is the 'newest' one, with its main buildings being less than a hundred years old. Therefore, its architectural style is not entirely traditional Chinese. Many building complexes have obvious Western styles, and the residence of the mansion owner, Li Ziyong, is a completely Western-style house, with fireplaces, sofas, and mattresses, which are rare even in Guangdong coast at the same time.
The locals in Yuncheng proudly claim that the Li Family Mansion covers more than ten Wang Family Mansions. Although it's an exaggeration, it's true that the Li Family Mansion is so large that it can make people's feet hurt. If you look carefully at the more than 20 courtyards, it might take a whole day.
In fact, the highlight of the Li Family Mansion is not simply its size, but its rich architectural art features and more functionality. The Li Family Mansion is more like a luxurious official residence than other courtyards, with many grand gate towers and pavilions. The exquisite wood carvings, stone carvings, and brick carvings are indeed ostentatious. This is obviously related to its construction period. It was only from the late Qing Dynasty to the early Republic of China that the rich dared to take such risks.
In addition to the courtyards for living, the Li Family Mansion also has a private school, a library, a farm tool yard, and other functional buildings that occupy a large area, more like a small town, fully functional.
In fact, the Li Family Mansion has been filmed in TV dramas and movies, but it is not as famous as 'Qiao Family Mansion'. However, the story of the Li Family Mansion is more dramatic. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, the head of the Li family, Li Ziyong, was sent to study in the UK. When he graduated, he brought back a foreign girl, Miss Mai, and married her back to the remote and closed Shanxi, which caused a sensation for a while...
As time goes by, the mansion today actually only retains half of its area from back then. The bustling big family has dispersed, leaving a nearly thousand-acre lonely mansion for later generations to visit and play, which is inevitably sighing.
If you go to Yuncheng, you can't miss the Li Family Mansion.
HenryBell.62
Shanxi Yuncheng, Li Family Courtyard, see kindness
Shanxi has many cultural relics on the ground, so it is said to see Shanxi on the ground. Yuncheng is located in the south of Jin, and it is the only city in our trip. It has a history of 5,000 years of civilization and is known as the salt capital.
Shanxi has three major courtyards, Wang's courtyard for its grandeur, Qiao's for its fame, and Li's for its kindness. Here are a few tips:
1. Yuncheng has a joint ticket for attractions, which is very cost-effective, and you can enter directly by swiping your ID card.
2. Please ask for a guide, otherwise you will not only fail to understand, but you may also get lost. However, the level of explanation varies, and the management is not standardized, so you need to stop halfway by yourself. We were lucky to meet a good one at the entrance.
3. There is makeup and follow-up shooting, but it is observed that the shooting locations are basically the same.
4. The size of the courtyard is appropriate, and one day is enough. It can be arranged together with Feiyun Tower.
5. There is basically no cultural creativity.