The Ma Family Courtyard

The Ma Family Courtyard

The Ma Family Courtyard is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Shanxi Province.

The Ma Family Courtyard (Fifth Batch of Provincial-Level Protected Sites)

Era: Qing Dynasty

Address: Yong’an Community, Yong’an Town, Hunyuan County, Datong City

The Ma Family Courtyard was built by Ma Xizhen, a successful candidate in the imperial examinations during the late Qing Dynasty. It is a large-scale, high-standard, and exquisitely crafted complex of ancient residential buildings.

The Ma Family Courtyard faces south and measures 51.3 meters from east to west and 66.54 meters from north to south, covering an area of approximately 3,411 square meters, with a rectangular layout. It features a three-courtyard structure with east and west wing courtyards. The main axis of the central courtyard includes a gate, hallway, main house, and 0-. Wing rooms are located on both the east and west sides. The west wing courtyard currently retains two courtyards, while the east wing courtyard has the rear courtyard remaining.

The existing structures of the Ma Family Courtyard are generally well-preserved. This residence is one of the more intact traditional residential compounds in Hunyuan County and provides valuable physical material for the study of the area’s traditional residential architecture.

The main gate is five bays wide and five rafters deep, with a single rear step beam opposing the front five-rafter beam. It uses three pillars along the full eave length, with a rear corridor. The roof is a single-eave, flush-gable style covered with tubular and flat tiles.

The wing rooms in the first courtyard are two bays wide on the east and west sides, with a single-slope, flush-gable roof covered with tubular and flat tiles.

The hallway is five bays wide and three rafters deep, with a four-rafter beam spanning the full depth and using two pillars along the full eave length. It has a single-eave, rolled-awning, flush-gable roof covered with tubular and flat tiles. The central bay serves as a passage, with four six-panel partition doors on each of the two side bays, and four four-panel partition windows on the end bays.

The wing rooms in the second courtyard are three bays wide and five rafters deep, with a single-step beam in the front opposing the rear five-rafter beam. They use three pillars along the full eave length and have a front corridor. The roof is a single-eave, flush-gable style covered with tubular and flat tiles.

The main house is five bays wide and five rafters deep, with a single-step beam in the front opposing the rear five-rafter beam. It uses three pillars along the full eave length and has a front corridor. The roof is a single-eave, flush-gable style covered with tubular and flat tiles. The central and side bays on the front eave each have six six-panel partition doors, while the end bays each have four four-panel partition windows.

The wing rooms in the third courtyard are three bays wide and have a single-slope, flush-gable roof covered with tubular and flat tiles.

0- is a two-story, double-eave pavilion-style building. A staircase inside the wall cabinet on the first floor leads to the second floor. It is five bays wide and four rafters deep. Five beams span the full depth and use three pillars along the full eave length. The roof is a double-eave, flush-gable style covered with tubular and flat tiles.

Enter the west wing courtyard through a brick-arched side gate on the west side of the main courtyard. The first courtyard has east and west side halls that are three bays wide, with a single-eave, flush-gable roof covered with tubular and flat tiles. The main house is three bays wide, with a single-eave, flush-gable roof covered with tubular and flat tiles. Enter the second courtyard through a passageway on the east side, where the east and west side halls are five bays wide, with a single-eave, flush-gable roof covered with tubular and flat tiles. The main house is three bays wide, with a front corridor and a single-eave, flush-gable roof covered with tubular and flat tiles. Enter the backyard garden through a passageway on the east side.

Enter the east wing courtyard through a brick-arched side gate on the east side of the main courtyard. The east wing courtyard’s third courtyard has east and west side halls that are four bays wide, with a single-eave, flush-gable roof covered with tubular and flat tiles. The main house is five bays wide, with a front corridor and a single-eave, flush-gable roof covered with tubular and flat tiles.

The Ma Family Courtyard is a large-scale, high-standard, and well-preserved ancient residence in Hunyuan County. Its brick, wood, and stone carvings are exquisitely crafted, showcasing refined workmanship. It is a masterpiece among the ancient residences of northern Shanxi, embodying both the common characteristics of the region and its own unique style. Each courtyard is independently enclosed yet connected to adjacent courtyards via side gates, forming an ancient, distinctive defensive system that provides tangible evidence for the study of northern Shanxi’s traditional residences.

In 2016, the Ma Family Courtyard was included in the fifth batch of provincial-level cultural heritage protected sites in Shanxi Province.

Source: Shanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau

Yong’an Community: Yong’an Community…… More details about Yong’an Community++

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Shanxi Provincial Cultural Heritage Protected Sites