Langzhong Kong Family Courtyard

Langzhong Kong Family Courtyard

The Langzhong Kong Family Courtyard is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Kong Family Courtyard

Built over 400 years ago by the 76th-generation descendant of Confucius during the Ming Dynasty, this residence has a history of over 400 years. Facing south and situated to the north, it features a main block made up of ten symmetrically arranged rooms. The central area serves as the main hall, while decorative chambers lie on the east and west. Covering an area of over 300 square meters, the structure follows a traditional quadrangle courtyard layout with a small central patio, a double-sloped roof of grey tiles, and a post-and-lintel framework. The windows and doors are adorned with carved patterns, and the main hall’s beams feature painted designs of the Taiji symbol and dragons, representing a typical example of ancient northern Sichuan residential architecture. Adjacent to the courtyard was the historic Baihua Nunnery. In the 14th year of the Ming Emperor Xianzong’s reign (1478), Yang Tinghe, a talented scholar from Xindu (and father of the top imperial scholar Yang Shen), stopped in Langzhong on his way to the capital to take the imperial examinations. At the request of the monks, he inscribed a large plaque for the nunnery, titled “Yunlin” (Cloud Forest), which remained preserved until the Republican era. Later, the nunnery was destroyed in a fire. The Kong family then constructed this courtyard next to its site. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the Kong family was a prominent household that made a living through teaching and other enterprises but later fell into decline. In 1912 and 1939, Mr. Zhang Lan, who then served as the Commissioner of Propaganda for Northern Sichuan and Director of the Langzhong Office of the Sichuan-Kangding Construction Promotion Committee, housed his administrative offices here. The courtyard was also favored by Luo Naiqun, Commander of the 29th Army of the Kuomintang, who resided here for an extended period.