Baihe Zhang Family Courtyard

　　Baihe Ancient Dwellings — The Zhang Family Courtyard is situated in Group 7, You'ai Village, Kazi Town, Baihe County. The property includes both upper and lower courtyards, approximately 300 meters apart. Both were built in the mid-Qing Dynasty, facing southwest and backing northeast, located by the Jieling River and opposite the Hanbai Highway.

　　The lower courtyard covers an area of about 3,000 square meters, consisting of two sets of three-courtyard complexes, each with a single entry. The walls between them are about 80-plus feet apart, forming a square-shaped complex. The central axis runs from west to east, successively featuring the main gate, front yard, central hall, rear rooms, passageways, and two courtyards, with wing rooms on both sides. The main structure is built of brick and wood, with a flush-gable roof covered in gray tiles and a post-and-lintel frame. From the west side to the fifth bay, two firewalls are erected. Viewed from the outside, the firewalls feature closely spaced timberwork, with upturned eaves primarily shaped like dragons and phoenixes—simple yet exquisite and vividly lifelike. Under the eaves are ink-wash paintings, while corridors, railings, and window lattices are all carved with openwork designs. The main gate is a stone-carved archway, inscribed with the four characters “振否鼓家” (Revitalize Decline, Inspire the Household). On the stone gate walls, each 3.64 meters high, on either side of the entrance, the left side is carved with the phrase “两岸绿杨一湾芳草即此是江陵胜概” (Green willows on both banks and fragrant grass in the bay — this is the scenic splendor of Jiangling), while the right side features a 30-character couplet: “庭前孝养门内出声何处访珂里名家” (Filial devotion in the courtyard, refined sounds within the gate — where to seek the esteemed homes of KeLi?). The building to the south shares a similar architectural style to the one in the north. The central axis from west to east includes the main gate, front hall, courtyard, central room, courtyard, and rear hall. The wing rooms on either side of the front hall have round doorways carved from bluestone, with door lintels and window lattices also featuring openwork carvings. The lintel is inscribed with the four characters “树德务滋” (Cultivate Virtue Diligently). The central courtyard’s stone lintel is inscribed with “孝友世家” (Family of Filial Piety and Friendship), and the eaves are adorned with ink-wash paintings.

　　Baihe County currently preserves over twenty ancient dwellings from the Ming and Qing dynasties, built by migrants from Huguang and local wealthy families. These historic residences vary in scale and style, with more than ten still largely intact, rich in wood carvings and stone ornaments, all finely crafted. The Zhang Family Courtyard in Jieling, Kazi Town...

　　...and the Huang Family Courtyard in Guihua have both been listed as part of the fourth batch of Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units in Shaanxi Province.