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Pingyao Historic City and Qiao Family Courtyard Zhang

several hundred years, which entered the final formed unintentionally after three large-scale
stage in September 2014. Later in 2014, the constructions by six generations of the Qiao
Planning Bureau launched the second batch of Family, and the family had lived here for over
39 houses to restore to their traditional style. 180 years. A saying in China is that “For
The government invested ¥6-7 million RMB Imperial Palaces there is the Forbidden City,
(≈ $1 million USD) to compensate the and for private residences one should look at
9 [5, 15, 16]
renovation project [14] . the Qiao Family Courtyard” .

Figure 14. Qiao Family Courtyard Map. Source: Photo
by the author, 2017

Figure 13. A restored courtyard house turned into
guest house, catering to Pingyao’s increasing tourists.
Source: Photo by the author, 2017
4.1 Architectural form and space
Qiao Family Compound faces streets on three
4. QIAO FAMILY COURTYARD sides with a majestic appearance. The gate sits
Praised as “a pearl of northern Chinese west and faces east, with a high floor above
residential architecture in the Qing dynasty,” the arched gateway, in the middle of which a
8 Qiao Family Courtyard, or Qiao Family plaque reads “Fu Zhong Langhuan” (福种琅
Compound, is located in Qiaojiapu Village of 嬛), meaning “Good Fortune Grows in the
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Qi County, about 36 km northeast of Pingyao Blessed Place.” The story behind the plaque
Historic City. This large square-shaped is that when the Boxer Rebellion (1899–1901)
compound is surrounded by a fully enclosed broke out while the Eight-Nation Alliance
grey brick wall of 10 m high, covering a land invaded Beijing (1900‒1901), Empress Cixi
area of 8,724 sqm and built-up area of 4,175 fled to Xi’an in the summer of 1900. She
sqm, consisting of six large courtyards, 20 stopped at Qiao Family Compound and the
small yards, and 313 rooms. The initial family greeted her with a big banquet in the
construction started in 1755, and the last Middle Hall. Thereafter, the Governor of
expansion occurred in 1937. Shanxi received an instruction from the
Viewed from above, the complex Empress to present this plaque as a gift to the
resembles the Chinese character “Double Qiao Family [3, 5, 15, 16] .
Happiness” (囍), with a peaceful and quiet At the top of the gate, a piece of
alley as the long horizontal line in the bluestone with the two embedded characters
character [Figure 14]. It is said that the “Gu Feng” (古风, meaning “Ancient Style”)
rigorous structure of the compound was not conveys that although the homeowner was a
deliberately designed, but a coincidence businessman, he had cultural taste. On the

8 “清代北方民居建筑的一颗明珠”
9 “皇家有故宫，民宅看乔家。”
10 琅嬛 Langhuan is a fairy cave in the legend and is a blessed place.

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