Zaohe Chen Family Courtyard

Zaohe Chen Family Courtyard

The Zaohe Chen Family Courtyard is a cultural heritage site protected by the Suqian Municipal Government.

The Chen Family Courtyard is located in Zaohe, a millennia-old town along the Suqian section of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. This architectural complex was first built during the Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty and is currently the largest ancient Qing-era residential building in Suqian. In 2004, the Suqian Municipal People's Government designated it as a municipal-level cultural heritage site.

The Chen Family Courtyard covers a total area of about 6 mu, featuring a traditional northern-style corridor structure, with a total of 66 rooms and a construction area of approximately 1,500 square meters. It was originally the private residence of Magistrate Ma of Luoma Lake in Suqian, later sold to Shandong businessman Chen Yongmao, and remained in his family until the eve of the liberation, hence the name Chen Family Courtyard. During the Anti-Japanese War, the courtyard served as the headquarters for the Japanese army stationed in Zaohe. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the complex was nationalized and repurposed as a local grain warehouse. In the 1950s, it successively functioned as the Zaohe ferry terminal, a sundry goods station, a knitting factory, and a welfare factory. In the 1980s, parts of the Chen Family Courtyard were sold to private individuals. In 2011, the courtyard was included in Jiangsu Province’s key cultural heritage rescue and protection project along the Grand Canal. The government allocated special funds for its restoration, essentially reviving the historical appearance of its six-courtyard layout. In 2013, the Hubei New Area Management Committee strengthened the preservation and utilization of historical relics, recreating historical scenes within the Chen Family Courtyard such as the reception hall, the master’s room, the young master’s room, the young lady’s room, the dining hall, the study, the accounting office, the ancestral hall, the Buddhist shrine, the grain storage, and the watchtower.

Location

Zaohe Town, Sucheng District, Suqian City, Jiangsu Province

Source: Hubei New Area Official Website of Suqian City

Zaohe Town: A town under the jurisdiction of Sucheng County. During the Republican era, it was called Zaohe Town. In 1957, it was established as Zaohe Township, reorganized as a commune in 1958, and restored as a town in 1985. Located in the northwestern part of the city, it is 22 kilometers from the county government and 10 kilometers from National Highway 205. Covering an area of 22 square kilometers with a population of 26,000, it is traversed by the Su-Huang Highway. The town administers nine village committees—Jiedong, Jexi, Zhangzhuang, Wangying, Bajing, Qibao, Xiezhuang, Longgang, and Songchang—as well as the Jiebei Neighborhood Committee. Its agricultural and sideline products mainly include wheat, rice, fish, shrimp, lotus roots, and whitebait. Key industrial products consist of 25 varieties such as plywood, Zaohe series liquors, and barges. To the south of the town lies... More details about Zaohe Town ++