The Six-Family Courtyard

The Six-Family Courtyard

The Six-Family Courtyard is a cultural heritage protection unit of Hunan Province.

The “Six-Family Courtyard” is situated in Xinwu Village, Sanjian Town, Lengshuijiang City. It was listed as part of the ninth batch of Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units by the People's Government of Hunan Province in January 2011. This courtyard is a sizable and well-maintained representation of a typical rural residence from the late Qing Dynasty in our city. Its main buildings and overall structure are mostly intact. Spanning around 3,000 square meters, its architectural style is fairly representative of central Hunan. The stone carvings are exquisitely crafted, and the murals beneath the eaves remain vivid and striking to this day. This is a village residence rich in local character that is well worth preserving. It holds significant value for studying the local customs and folk architectural features of our city during the late Qing period.

The “Six-Family Courtyard” is about 160 years old. The owner of the house had the surname Zou. It earned the name “Six-Family Courtyard” because the family had eight brothers. In the old days, after the brothers got married, they were referred to by birth order — the First House, the Second House, the Third House, and so on. The owner of this house was the sixth brother, hence the name “Six-Family Courtyard.” The villagers of Xinwu lived close to the river, which made transportation very convenient. Especially in ancient times, it served as the only land route along the Zishui River. Boatmen transporting goods by wooden rafts from upstream areas such as Baoqing and Guangxi’s Ziyuan would walk back home after selling their cargo and boats in downstream cities like Yiyang and Wuhan. The route through Xinwu Village was a necessary path. Perhaps for this reason, the local economy was quite vibrant, with numerous shops, factories, and mines. To this day, remnants of the old official roads, teahouses, and stores can still be found. Locally, the Zou family was a prominent household — all eight brothers did well: some ran shops, others transported goods by boat, and some mined. They all built sizable houses and amassed considerable wealth. The sixth brother, in particular, was especially adept at mining and became very wealthy. The house he built is also uniquely designed. The residence covers an area of about two to three acres, with three courtyards in a row, two large courtyards — each about the size of a basketball court — filled with flowers and plants, creating a tranquil environment. There are spacious wing rooms on both the east and west sides, featuring grey bricks, black tiles, carved beams, and painted rafters, all contributing to a grand and imposing appearance. The most eye-catching feature is the pair of white jade guest seating pedestals at the main gate of the front courtyard — truly one of a kind. With such an impressive residence, the prosperity of the Zou family’s sixth branch and the bustling activity of the Xinwu Village area in those days can be readily imagined.

Source: Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, Press and Publication

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Further Reading:

· Ninth Batch of Hunan Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units