Chang Family Manor

Chang Family Manor

Chang Family Manor is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

The Chang family of Yuci, Shanxi, driven by the ambition to seek wealth across the land and the boldness to chase profits worldwide, produced tea in Wuyi Mountain, established their trading post in Kiakhta, and pioneered the Ten-Thousand-Li Tea Road. They traded in Mongolia, Russia, and Northern Europe for over two hundred years, eventually becoming one of the wealthiest and most influential merchant families among the Jin merchants, and the foremost Chinese family in Sino-Russian trade. The reason behind the Chang family’s enduring prosperity lies in their foresight, their ability to remain vigilant despite their wealth, their emphasis on educating their children, and their rich family scholarly tradition. Generation after generation, they adhered to the family motto that “those who excel in studies should engage in commerce,” continuously supplying outstanding cultural and intellectual talents to the business world. This ensured the trading group maintained a steady stream of elite members. Navigating the commercial world with great skill, they perfectly integrated Confucian ideals and ethical principles with economic awareness and business practices, achieving a harmonious balance between economic rationality and moral integrity. As a result, they became a renowned and respected family of scholar-merchants both in China and abroad during the Qing Dynasty.

As a family of scholar-merchants who firmly believed in “those who excel in studies should engage in commerce,” the Changs placed great importance on the academic education of their descendants. Their family produced not only scholars, imperial examinees, and successful candidates in the civil service examinations but also numerous renowned calligraphers and painters. Beyond the profound essence of Confucian culture, the artistic value here is also exceptional. The gateways, window decorations, painted murals, plaques, couplets, brick carvings, wood carvings, stone inscriptions, and model calligraphy rubbings found throughout the various courtyards are considered masterpieces of Jin merchant culture.

If the Qiao Family Compound was what first introduced the courtyard culture of Shanxi to the nation, then the Chang Family Manor elevated this cultural expression to an unprecedented level. Located in Yuci District, Jinzhong City, southeast of Taiyuan, the Chang Family Manor is the private estate of the Chang family, a prominent Jin merchant clan during the Qing Dynasty. The grand fortress gate faces east and is named Guo Genji. Outside the gate runs a small river encircling the estate, and a white stone arch bridge spans the entrance. Directly opposite the fortress gate lies a stone-paved street running east-west, with all the restored residences aligned in a row along the northern side of the street. Corresponding to the residences is the “Jing Garden,” a garden spanning over a hundred acres that blends the architectural styles of both the north and south. The garden features pavilions, terraces, and towers, as well as an apricot grove and a mulberry garden. In winter, the lake freezes over, while in spring, the fragrance of blooming apricot blossoms fills the air. The Ten-Thousand-Li Tea Road: During the Hongzhi era of the Ming Dynasty, the Chang family relocated from Hui’an in Taigu to Chehui in Yuci. After generations of hard work, spanning the reigns of Emperors Qianlong, Jiaqing, Daoguang, Xianfeng, Tongzhi, Guangxu, and Xuantong, the family enjoyed a golden age lasting 150 years. By the mid-18th century, the Changs noticed the growing demand for tea in Russia and Mongolia. As a result, they established the “Ten-Thousand-Li Tea Road,” which began in Wuyi Mountain, Fujian, and extended over ten thousand li via land, water, and camel transport, reaching as far as Kiakhta in Russia.

Travel Tips: The manor is filled with intricate details, and its architecture and gardens are masterpieces—especially the various carvings, which reveal their beauty upon closer inspection. For example, the massive stone carving of a fish leaping through the Dragon Gate on the western gate of the manor; the 240 “longevity” characters on the ancestral hall screen wall, and the 340 seal-style family mottos in the Hezheng Hall courtyard. The screen walls themselves are carved masterpieces. Even a cursory visit to the entire manor takes more than two hours, but to truly appreciate its details, a full day is essential.

Transportation: Drive about one hour southeast from Taiyuan along National Highway 108 to Yuci, with signs on the expressway.

Ticket | Opening Hours: 60 RMB

Opening Hours: 8:00–18:30

Address: Chehui Village, Dongyang Town, Yuci District, Jinzhong City

Type: Historic Site & Folk Village

Rating: AAAA

Recommended Visit Duration: 2–3 hours

Phone: 0354-2756789; 0354-2756906

Official Website: http://www.cnchang.com/

Opening Hours:

8:00–18:30.

The Guihe Hall was the residence of Chang Bingjun, the son of Chang Huaixun, the second son of Chang Wan Da. Chang Bingjun was born in the 42nd year of Emperor Qianlong’s reign (1778), at a time when his grandfather had just turned sixty and was at the peak of his career. According to family lore, Chang Wan Da built a separate hall for each of his ten grandsons (the Ten Bing) and personally named each hall. Therefore, the original Guihe Hall is believed to have been built in the late Qianlong period. Thus, Guihe Hall is one of the ten major old residences of the Northern Chang family. It is said that because Bingjun was born when his grandfather turned sixty, he was given the character “Gui” (meaning noble or precious), and the hall was thus named Guihe Hall.

Among the restored parts of the manor, Guihe Hall boasts five “firsts”: First, it is the largest and most intact in scale; originally consisting of eight courtyards—including the main courtyard, rear courtyard, East New Courtyard, West New Courtyard, and Small Study—six of these have been restored in sequence. Second, it has the most complete and highest artistic-quality preserved brick carvings, wood carvings, stone carvings, and painted decorations. Third, it houses the largest screen wall in the entire manor and even across residential compounds in the province. Fourth, the seven-bay rear building represents the highest-grade architecture among Chinese residential buildings. Fifth, it has the most comprehensive and highest-quality collection of antique Ming and Qing furniture in the Shanxi style; with over a thousand daily-use items, ornaments, decorations, utensils, and pieces of furniture, it authentically showcases the living culture of the Chang family.

The Chang Family Ancestral Hall’s original construction date is unknown, but by the late Qing Dynasty during the Guangxu era, two branches of the Chang descendants—Chang Wan? (later known as the Southern Chang) and Chang Wan Da (later known as the Northern Chang)—had each built their own ancestral halls, referred to locally as the “Southern Ancestral Hall” and the “Northern Ancestral Hall.” Due to historical reasons, the Southern Chang section of the Chang Family Manor, including the Southern Ancestral Hall, was completely destroyed and could not be restored. Therefore, what we see today is only the Northern Ancestral Hall of the Chang family.

The existing Northern Ancestral Hall was built in the fifth year of the Guangxu era of the Qing Dynasty (1879), located northeast of the back street of the Northern Chang family. Its construction took three years and cost over twenty thousand taels of silver. The courtyard is 25 meters wide, with seven bays and a depth of over a hundred meters, covering an area of eight mu.

The entire ancestral hall is divided into three gates and four courtyards, comprising an entrance pavilion, halls, an offering pavilion, corridors, the main hall, and side rooms. Together, they form a rigorously organized and structurally complete architectural complex. It is one of the largest and best-preserved family ancestral hall complexes among existing Chinese residences.

The Shiyunxuan Academy is located on the north side of the middle section of the back street of the Chang Family Manor. It is the largest academy within a Chinese residence, named after the rare treasure it houses—the Shiyunxuan Calligraphy Model. The academy is divided into a front courtyard and a rear courtyard, serving as the study place for the Chang family’s children. The front courtyard features enclosed corridor-style architecture, while the rear courtyard houses the library building. The front courtyard consists of four pavilions and three corridors: the eastern corridor displays the “Tingyu Tower Calligraphy Model,” the western corridor the “Chang Family Precious Ink Calligraphy Model,” and the central corridor the “Shiyunxuan Calligraphy Model.” The southern corridor of the rear courtyard displays the “Calligraphy Model of Forty-Four Emperors and Empresses,” all of which are treasures of Chinese calligraphy art.

The Chang family owned the largest academy among Chinese residences, named the “Shiyunxuan Academy.” Located in the middle of the back street of the Northern Chang family, it is a garden-style building and also served as a poetic and artistic space for cultivating sentiment and educating the clan’s descendants. The academy consists of three main parts: the eastern courtyard, the western courtyard, and the main building at the front. Though divided into three sections, they are interconnected as a whole. The front courtyard includes four pavilions and three corridors: the eastern corridor features the “Tingyu Tower Calligraphy Model,” the western corridor the “Chang Family Precious Ink Calligraphy Model,” and the central corridor the “Shiyunxuan Calligraphy Model,” all of which are treasured works of Chinese calligraphy. Behind the Shiyunxuan Calligraphy Model is the Imperial Brush Pavilion, housing the “Calligraphy Model of Forty-Four Emperors and Empresses,” all of which possess extremely high artistic and cultural value. The main structure at the front of the academy is the seven-bay, two-story “Tingyu Tower,” inspired by Li Shangyin’s verse “Leave the withered lotus to listen to the rain,” and served as the place where Chang family descendants composed poetry, painted, and studied history.

The courtyard is adorned with lush pines, cypresses, gnarled locust trees, sturdy bamboos, seasonal flowers, and trees, all complementing the pavilions, towers, corridors, and halls. Unique rocks are placed under the trees, and a clear pond is dug in the yard. The private school, small study rooms, and large academy are integrated into one, fully embodying the spirit of scholar-merchants. It is within such a cultural atmosphere, nurtured by the profound and extensive culture of scholar-merchants, that generations of outstanding talents from the Chang family stepped into society, many becoming notable business elites and academic figures admired worldwide.

On either side of the exquisitely structured, uniquely shaped gateway radiating an elegant scholarly aura, the two characters “Xue Hai” (Sea of Learning) embedded in the surrounding wall are particularly eye-catching. Legend has it that these characters are the handwriting of Wang Xizhi, displaying his powerful brushstrokes that seem to penetrate the paper. “The sea of learning has no bounds; diligence is the boat,” the Chang family prominently engraved these two large characters on both sides of the academy’s gateway, making their intention self-evident. Furthermore, the four characters “Zhen Er Bu Liang” (Upright Yet Flexible) on the lintel are from the Analects of Confucius, meaning that a true Confucian, while adhering to principles and upholding righteousness, should also remain adaptable and go with the flow of history. These four characters can be said to represent the Chang family’s fundamental attitude toward Confucianism.

The front courtyard is surrounded by four halls and three corridors. The four pavilions are respectively named after phrases from the Analects: “Neighbor Has Virtue,” “Aspire to the Way,” “Study and Reflect,” and “Think Without Evil.” They serve as the music pavilion, chess pavilion, book pavilion, and painting pavilion for the Chang family’s children. The central corridor features the treasured calligraphy stone carving—“Shiyunxuan Calligraphy Model.” This model was written by Du Datong, a hermit from Taigu in the Qing Dynasty, during the Jiaqing era, and carved in white marble. In addition to imitations of Wang Xizhi’s cursive script and the regular scripts of Yan Zhenqing and Liu Gongquan for the three styles of the “Orchid Pavilion Preface,” the centerpiece is Du Datong’s bold, elegant, and majestic large plaque script. There are thirty-five plaques, each character measuring 25 centimeters square.

A calligraphy model of such large-scale plaque inscriptions is already extremely rare, and the exquisite and graceful calligraphy skill makes it even more exceptional. This not only shocked the world in the Qianlong and Jiaqing eras of the Qing Dynasty by breaking the conventional “official script” style of inscription, but it has also been preserved to this day as a rare treasure. The Chang family named the academy “Shiyunxuan” to show their high regard for this calligraphy model.

The Back Garden of the Chang Family Manor—Jingyuan (Tranquil Garden)—is hailed as the largest private garden of the northern style in China. This garden is interconnected by mountains, lakes, and water systems, yet it features gardens within gardens, large spaces within small ones, and small elements within large ones, creating a natural and harmonious interplay of near and far, high and low.

Covering an area of over 80,000 square meters, Jingyuan includes the main garden area as well as the Apricot Garden, Lion Garden, Pleasurable Garden, and Distant Garden. The theme of "tranquility" is reflected everywhere in the garden, yet there is also a sense of movement. Pavilions, towers, corridors, and garden paths are adorned with babbling brooks and clear pools. Everywhere you look, you’ll find inspirational quotes, brick-carved screen walls, and floral and wood carvings, all reflecting the owner’s refined taste in art. The Chang family garden combines the essence of both northern and southern Chinese garden design, showcasing the boldness of the northern style while exuding the delicate beauty of the southern style. It is acclaimed as the "Foremost Residential Garden of the North." The Lion Garden, with its diverse group of lion sculptures and the impressive brick-carved Bagua (Eight Trigrams) screen wall, is a must-see and truly an eye-opener.

The Guanjia Pavilion is a structure within the Chang Family Manor scenic area in Yuci District, Jinzhong City, Shanxi Province. Its architectural layout follows a "three visible, five hidden" design, with terraced levels rising lushly into the greenery, towers soaring into the sky, flying eaves flowing with vermilion hues, and the base appearing to float above the ground. It embodies the humanistic philosophy of the Confucian merchant families—concern for the people’s wellbeing, hopes for favorable weather and abundant harvests, and aspirations for national peace and prosperity.

Further Reading:

· Top 100 Historical Site-type Scenic Spots Brand Ranking of 2020