Niuji'an Sun Family Courtyard

Niuji'an Sun Family Courtyard

The Sun Family Courtyard is a two-story quadrangle built on a cliff, which was once secluded and magnificent. It is said that the Sun family originally ran a dyeing business in Boshan and had considerable financial resources. To escape social unrest, they relocated here. The Sun Family Courtyard features stone walls, black-tiled roofs, and includes a main hall, lower hall, left and right wing rooms. Both the upper and lower floors have wing rooms and corner rooms, all connected to the main house. The wing rooms and corner rooms on the second floor are accessed via an external stone staircase, while the main building has an internal wooden staircase. The floorboards are laid over wooden beams and coated with varnish, making them lightweight, sturdy, and aesthetically pleasing. The wing rooms and corner rooms on the first floor mostly serve as mills, kitchens, and animal pens, while those on the second floor are mostly used for grain storage. Grain processing can be mechanically delivered to the mill, making the entire layout of the residence efficient, convenient, and well-organized.

The residence is equipped with multiple mechanisms and hidden passages, ensuring that any intruders would face fatal strikes. To this day, the entrance to a tunnel remains preserved on the cliff to the north of the courtyard. From the outside, the tunnel entrance resembles a flood discharge channel through which one can crawl upright, leading into the house and serving as an escape route. The discharge channel runs through the interior of the house and directly connects to the Divine Ox Spring, allowing spring water to be accessed from inside the house. At the time, it was concealed within the woods and equipped with a rope ladder. The Sun Family Courtyard is truly a unique architectural gem of the region.

Address: Niuji'an Village, Kunlun Town, Zichuan District, Zibo City

Admission: 50 RMB; Parking fee: 20 RMB

Phone: 0533-5555999

Opening Hours: Open all day

Niuji'an Village: Located 6.5 kilometers southwest of Kunlun Town, Zichuan District, Zibo City, Shandong Province, and bordering Boshan District to the south, Niuji'an Village was established in the mid-Qing Dynasty and is a traditional ancient village with a history of over 400 years. In 2015, it was designated as a "Provincial-Level Ancient Village" in Shandong Province.

Nestled deep in the mountains, Niuji'an Village enjoys the reputation of being a "village in the sky." Surrounded by peaks, the entire village resembles a reclining ox when viewed from above. Halfway up the mountain sits a small hermitage called "Niuji'an."

There are two main legends about the origin of the village’s name:

One... Niuji'an Village detailed information++