Dong Family Courtyard

Dong Family Courtyard

The Dong Family Courtyard is a cultural relic protection unit of Tianjin Municipality.

Dong Family Courtyard

Era: Guangxu Period of the Qing Dynasty

Address: The Dong Family Courtyard is located on Zhushijie Street in Yangliuqing Town.

It was first built in the third year of the Guangxu reign (1877) by Dong Zhaorong, covering a land area of 1,200 square meters and a construction area of 686 square meters. The architecture follows an axisymmetric layout, consisting of a five-bay, two-courtyard, double-row, quadrangle courtyard. It has well preserved the original appearance of residential buildings in the Yangliuqing area.

The ancestors of the Dong family migrated here in the 20th year of the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty (1422), after which the family split into two branches: Ju De and Yu Sheng. In the early years of the Guangxu reign, the Yu Sheng branch began to expand near the urban area of Tianjin, establishing business ties with Tianjin’s grain depots, storage houses, and money shops. In the 27th year of the Guangxu reign (February of 1901 in the lunar calendar), when several hundred German soldiers besieged Jinghai County, the person in charge of Yu Sheng at the time, Dong Zhaorong, generously contributed 2,000 taels of silver, considering the safety of Jinghai County. As a result, Jinghai was spared from disaster. Since then, the reputation of Yu Sheng rose significantly. After the establishment of the Republic of China, family members such as Dong Shaoliang and Dong Shaokang went to Tianjin for further education and subsequently achieved success.

The Dong Family Courtyard is located on Zhushijie Street in the center of Yangliu Town, covering a land area of 1,200 square meters and a construction area of 686 square meters. It features an axisymmetric five-bay, two-courtyard, double-row, small-scale flush-gable quadrangle courtyard building. A central axis divides the entire courtyard into eastern and western sections (originally, there was a brick-carved floral screen gate along the central axis, which was later destroyed). The main rooms on both sides have through-doorways, while the central axis has four side gates connecting the various courtyards. Each courtyard follows a strict hierarchical system, with architectural decorations varying according to the status of the owners.

The second courtyard on the eastern side is the finest part of the Dong Family Courtyard’s architecture. The main room (southern room) features five bays with seven rafters, in a small-scale flush-gable style, with exposed beams indoors, carved angle brackets, clay tile roofing with a clear-water ridge, and a “dog-tooth” eave closure at the rear. The central bay of the main room has a four-panel, six-leaf partition door, with a curtain-frame door in the middle, while the side bays and smaller bays have lattice-patterned lift-and-slide windows. The transom windows are adorned with “butterfly” clip motifs, and the lift-and-slide windows with “prosperity” motifs. All window panels feature carved floral designs, and a sliding door is set in the central bay of the rear eave leading to a rear corridor. The wing rooms consist of three bays with five rafters, in a small-scale flush-gable style, with exposed beams indoors, clay tile roofing with a saddleback ridge, and a parapet wall at the rear eave. The northern gables are decorated with large brick-carved gable ornaments, with windows on the gable walls. The central bay of the room has a two-panel, six-leaf partition door, with a curtain-frame door in the middle, while the side bays and smaller bays have lattice-patterned lift-and-slide windows. The transom windows feature “butterfly” clips, and the lift-and-slide windows “prosperity” clips. All window panels have carved floral designs. The base uses blue stone plinths and risers, with brick-carved vents, precisely-jointed brick columns, and exquisitely carved gable bricks. Below the beams, there is a horizontal beam at the same height, fitted with iron hangers used to hold wooden boards for protecting doors and windows.

The other courtyards all feature the common Yangliuqing-style architecture with enclosed front eaves, including blue brick lower walls, roughly laid walls, clay tile roofing, and suspended ceilings indoors.

The main gate is a golden-pillar gate (the damaged gable and columns were later repaired with red bricks and covered with cement mortar), with a丝缝 (fine-jointed) lower section and plastered upper section inside the gate tower. One floral panel featuring birds and flowers remains. There are four side gates along the central axis leading to the four courtyards, three of which have plain brick railings, precisely-jointed brick columns, while the side gate of the second courtyard on the eastern side is a brick-carved gate with Buddhist Eight Treasures patterns in the center surrounded by floral motifs, topped with carved brick rafters and 10th-size tubular tiles.

Looking at the entire structure, it fully reflects the Dong family’s architectural style that prioritized practicality over luxury, making it the only remaining example in the Yangliuqing area that showcases the life of a traditional wealthy family.

Yangliuqing Town: Yangliuqing Town is located at a strategic point near the capital, serving as the seat of the Xiqing District government and the political, economic, and cultural center of the district. The area lies in the western part of Tianjin, bordering Zhongbei Town and Yangliuqing Farm to the east, Zhangjiawo Town to the south, Xinkou Town to the southwest, Wuqing District to the northwest, and Beichen District to the north. It covers an area of 64 square kilometers, with a built-up town area of 13 square kilometers. The town government administers 25 administrative villages and streets, as well as 29 neighborhood committees, with a total population of 120,000, making it the largest township in Tianjin and the Bohai Economic Rim.

Yangliuqing Town is 16 kilometers from downtown Tianjin and ... Detailed information about Yangliuqing Town++

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Tianjin Cultural Relic Protection Units