Pan Family Manor

Pan Family Manor

Pan Family Manor is located in Nananyang Village, five kilometers southeast of Yangcheng County, covering an area of 20,000 square meters with 53 courtyards and over 1,600 rooms. The village is recognized as a “Historical and Cultural Village” in Shanxi Province; Pan Family Manor has been designated as a “Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit”; and Nananyang Clay Pottery has been listed as an “Intangible Cultural Heritage.” Nestled amidst lush mountains and pristine waters, this land shines with the diligence and wisdom of generations of Nananyang residents.

The most representative structure of Pan Family Manor is the Pan Family Thirteen Courtyards complex, spanning over 6,000 square meters with more than 390 rooms and a stunning rear garden. The most distinctive among them is the Sixth Courtyard — the Old Courtyard, the largest in North China, featuring a rare nine-bay siheyuan (courtyard house), covering more than 700 square meters, with a typical layout of four large and eight small courtyards and five skywells. It is a classic example of traditional architecture. The carved wooden sign on its main gate, reading “Dwelling Between Modesty and Yield,” is elegant, bold, and powerful. The courtyard showcases exquisite layouts, profound cultural significance, refined decorations, and vibrant colors, all reflecting extraordinary taste. It boasts a grand entrance, high walls, deep courtyards, and layered spatial design. There are six entrances, thirteen courtyards, nineteen wing rooms, and twenty-six main rooms. Even the side rooms still retain their historic charm.

Entering the Lion’s Mouth Courtyard from the south gate of the Pan Family Mansion, you’ll see the plaque above the north gate inscribed with “Four Generations of Senior Officials.” In the West Hall Courtyard, the plaques read: “Pang Weiyi: Appointed by Imperial Decree as Candidate for Provincial Education Commissioner, Honorary Rank One;” “Pan Wei: Appointed by Imperial Decree as Provisional Education Commissioner in Henan, Honorary Rank One;” “Pan Gongzong: Appointed by Imperial Decree as Education Commissioner of Nanan Prefecture in Jiangxi, Former Principal Clerk of the Ministry of War, Honorary Rank Three.” The faded yet distinct characters on these plaques recount the glory and pride of the Pan family, who produced ten senior officials across four imperial reigns: Jiaqing, Daoguang, Xianfeng, and Tongzhi. According to the Yangcheng County Annals, the Pan family of Anyang was the wealthiest in the region during the Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty. The family owned over 3,000 acres of land and engaged in a wide range of businesses — general merchandise, department stores, money shops, pawnshops, jewelry, antiques, silk, salt, and tea — spanning across China. Their cinnabar trade directly supplied the imperial palace. Their wealth rivaled that of the Wang family of Guoyu in Yangcheng, the Li family of Baixiangli, and was on par with the prestigious Kang and Qu families from Pingyang and Taigu.

After amassing wealth through commerce, the Pan family placed great emphasis on education. They built academies and schools, hiring renowned scholars such as Ma Xiji and Hou Dai (a Hanlin Academician during the Xianfeng era) to teach. They spared no effort in nurturing talent and continuously supplied capable individuals to the business world to maintain competitiveness. Pan Weijie once donated funds to construct the Yangcheng Yangshan Academy and contributed to the expansion of the Shikou River channel. During the widespread drought in the third year of the Guangxu reign, when famine spread and people suffered, the Pan family set up relief kitchens to aid starving people within a hundred-li radius — a story passed down in praise. The then Yangcheng County Magistrate Ye Tingzhen personally presented the Pan family with a plaque inscribed “The Benevolent Live Long.”

(Text & Photo: Ma Hongtai)