Qiao Family Courtyard

 

Facts to Know about Qiao Family Courtyard

Chinese Name: 乔家大院 Pronunciation: qiáo jiā dà yuàn

Suggested Visiting Hours: 2 Hours

Building Time: 1755 A.D

Occupied Area: 25,600 square meters

Best Visiting Season: Summer and Autumn (March to November)

Building Function: Living houses of Qiao Zhiyong, a famous Shanxi merchant

Address: Qiaojiabao Village, Dongguan Town, Qi County, Jinzhong City, Shanxi Province.

 

Entrance Ticket

Tickets	Peak Season (March 1st to November 30th)	Low Season  (December 1st to February 28th)
Admission Fee	115yuan

 

Opening Hours

Qiao Family Courtyard	Peak Season (March 1st to November 30th)	Low Season (December 1st to February 28th)
Opening Hours	8:00 -18:45	8:30-17:00

 

Overview of Qiao Family Courtyard

Qiao Family Courtyard is located in Qiaojiabao Village, Dongguan Town, Qi County, Jinzhong City, 54 kilometers away from Taiyuan. Founded in 1755 A.D, it was named after Qiao Zhiyong, a prominent Shanxi merchant in the Ming (1368A.D-1644A.D) and Qing (A.D1636-A.D1912) Dynasties.
 

Qiao Family Courtyard, also known as Zaizhong Hall, consists of "four halls and one garden", including Zaizhong Hall, Dexing Hall, Ningshou Hall, Baoyuan Hall and Qiao's garden. It covers an area of more than 25,600 square meters and has 18 large courtyards, 41 small courtyards and 731 houses. Nowadays, it has preserved the commercial and folk characteristics of Qiao's family of its heyday.
 

In Qiao Family Courtyard, there are ten series of exhibitions: agricultural custom, Chinese festivals, living rituals, etiquette, commercial custom, folk craft, treasures of Qiao family, Qiao family history, drama and film material and special exhibition. These exhibitions vividly reflect the folk culture of the Jinzhong City of Shanxi Province.
 

Additionally, cultural relics exhibited in the Qiao Family Courtyard are diversified and amazing, such as rare calligraphy, jade, paintings, pottery, currency and embroidery in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Among them, "Rhinoceros Moon Mirror", " Nine Dragon Lantern" and "Ten Thousand People Globe" are particularly peculiar.

 

History of Qiao Family Courtyard

In 1755, Qiao Zhiyong’s grandfather Qiao Guifa met with business success and he started to build a courtyard for his descendants in his hometown. Qiao Zhiyong and later generations gradually expanded the courtyard until the "four halls and one garden" architectural scale was formed. On July 7, 1937, when the Sino-Japanese war broke out, the whole family fled, leaving an empty courtyard with only some family members to look after it.
 

In 1985, the People's Government of Qi County converted these ancient houses into a local Folk Museum.
 

On November 1, 1986, Qiao Family Courtyard was officially opened to the public. More than 5,000 precious cultural relics were displayed. These cultural relics reflect the folk features of Jinzhong City of Shanxi Province.
 

In 2002, Qiao Family Courtyard was ranked as a 4A tourist attraction.

 

Must-Visit Attractions at Qiao Family Courtyard

Ningshou Hall & Baoyuan Hall

Ningshou Hall and Baoyuan Hall are composed of seven large courtyards, 13 small courtyards, and 259 houses. In Ningshou Hall, there are exhibitions of business scenes of Qiao’s family in native banks, wine shops, exchange shops, tea houses, and so on.
 

These exhibitions aim to reveal Shanxi merchants’ righteousness, honesty, and innovation. Baoyuan Hall demonstrates the local farming culture, wedding culture and birthday celebration culture of Jinzhong city, showing the festival etiquette and the rich agricultural culture in Jinzhong.

Ten Thousand People Globe

Ten Thousand People Globe is a mercury glass ball hanging on the ceiling. It is said that it was purchased from the United States at that time by the Qiao Family. The ball could shrink the image of people with a certain proportion in this house, thus making everyone’s behavior seen from the globe.
 

When the Qiao family met guests and talked about business, they hung up Ten Thousand People Globe to monitor people in this house. It was the first surveillance probe in the world, which was extremely rare at that time.

Rhinoceros Moon Mirror

In Qiao’s No. 3 courtyard, there is a Rhinoceros Moon Mirror, which is two meters high and weighs one ton. Its frame was made of the hardest and rarest wood. Rhinoceros Moon Mirror consists of three parts. The top is a mirror representing the round moon, the middle is auspicious clouds, and the base is a rhino, so it is called Rhinoceros Moon Mirror. It is a national first-class cultural relic and also the treasure of Qiao’s family.

Dexing Hall

In Dexing Hall, there are four large courtyards and eight small courtyards, exhibiting folk costumes, furniture, porcelain, and facial makeup of Jin opera and Qitai Yangge. It is an important place to understand the culture of Shanxi merchants and folklife.

Nine Dragon Lantern

Nine Dragon Lantern is one of the exquisite collections of the Folk Custom Museum of Qiao Family Courtyard. It was said that When Empress Dowager Cixi fled to Xi'an after the Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded China, Qiao family donated 300,000 taels of silver to relieve her financial burden. Therefore, Empress Dowager Cixi awarded Qiao family two pieces of Nine Dragon Lanterns to thank them for their loyalty. Nine Dragon Lantern is meticulously carved, luxurious, unique and practical. So far, there has been no third one in China.

 

Suggested Travel Route

a. Enter from Zaizhong Hall→Exit from Dexing Hall

b. Enter from Baoyuan Hall→Exit from Ningshou Hall

 

How to Get to Qiao Family Courtyard

By Bus

Tourists arriving at Qi County by train can get to Qiao Family Courtyard by Bus No.13 or No.18 from Train Station of Qi County. It takes an hour and a half, only 3 yuan.

By Taxi

Chinese: 请带我去乔家大院。English: Please take me to Qiao Family Courtyard.

If you go to Qiao Family Courtyard from Pingyao Ancient City, it takes about 50 minutes (nearly 56 yuan).

If you go to Qiao Family Courtyard from Train Station of Qi County, it takes about 22 minutes (nearly 23 yuan).