Shenhou Gao Family Residence

Shenhou Gao Family Residence

The Shenhou Gao Family Residence is a cultural relic protection unit of Hebei Province.

The Shenhou Gao Family Residence is located in Shenhou Village, Luquan District. It was built in 1927 by Gao Mingjiao, a native of Shenhou Village. This is a well-preserved three-courtyard quadrangle-style building, consisting of a front courtyard, middle courtyard, rear courtyard, left and right wing rooms, as well as tall enclosing walls — forming an expansive architectural complex.

The entire manor is grand in scale, rigorously laid out, with tall and imposing house designs and exquisitely carved and decorated interiors. Since the construction craftsmen all came from the Wutai Mountain area in Shanxi, the architecture features a typical style of Shanxi residential buildings. Its current state of preservation is complete, which is quite rare in Hebei Province.

For decades in Luquan, there has been a saying among the locals about “the three great mansions: the Zhou Family of Yongbi, the Ma Family of Xincheng, and the Gao Family of Shenhou.” Among them, the mansions of the Ma Family of Xincheng and the Zhou Family of Yongbi were demolished in the early years after liberation and during the Cultural Revolution, respectively.

Now, only the Gao Family mansion in Shenhou remains. Due to its grand architectural scale, unique decorative style, and largely intact preservation, it was designated as a key cultural relic protection unit of Hebei Province by the provincial government in July 1993.

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Hebei Province