Pan Family Manor

　　Pan Family Manor is located in Nan’anyang 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 Nan’anyang Clay Pottery has been listed as an “Intangible Cultural Heritage.” In this picturesque land surrounded by mountains and water, the diligence and wisdom of generations of Nan’anyang people shine brightly.

　　The most representative structure of Pan Family Manor is the Pan Family Thirteen Courtyards complex, which spans over 6,000 square meters, features more than 390 rooms, and includes a stunning backyard garden. The most distinctive among them is the Sixth Courtyard—also known as the Old Courtyard—the largest in North China, featuring a rare nine-bay siheyuan (courtyard house), covering over 700 square meters, and embodying the classic layout of four large and eight small courtyards with five skywells. Its grand wooden gate bears the elegantly inscribed characters “居廉让间” (Living Between Integrity and Humility), bold and vigorous in style. The courtyard showcases exquisite architectural details, rich cultural heritage, profound historical significance, and remarkable artistic value. There are also many other highlights: the first courtyard, the second courtyard, the third courtyard, the fifth courtyard, the sixth courtyard, the seventh courtyard, the eighth courtyard, and the ninth courtyard all possess unique features. Even the seventeenth courtyard still retains its ancient charm.

　　Entering the Lion’s Mouth Courtyard from the south gate of the Pan Family Compound, you’ll see the plaque on the main north gate inscribed with “Four Generations of High-Ranking Officials.” On the gate plaque of the West Hall Courtyard are inscriptions: “Pang Weiyi, Granted the Title of Court Councilor and Candidate for Provincial Administration Commissioner, with One Rank Added”; “Pang Weizong, Granted the Title of Civil Administrator and Candidate for Provincial Administration Commissioner in Henan, with One Rank Added”; “Pang Gongzong, Granted the Title of Middle Councilor and Deputy Administrator of Nanan Prefecture in Jiangxi, Former Principal Clerk of the Ministry of War with Three Ranks Added.” The faded yet distinct characters on these plaques recount the glory and pride of the Pan family, who produced ten high-ranking officials across four dynasties: Jiaqing, Daoguang, Xianfeng, and Tongzhi. According to the Yangcheng County Annals, the Pan family of Anyang was the wealthiest family in the region during the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty. The family owned over 3,000 acres of land and engaged in a wide range of businesses—including daily necessities, general merchandise, money shops, pawnshops, jewelry, antiques, silk, salt, and tea—spanning across China. Their cinnabar business even 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 of Pingyang and Taigu.

　　After amassing their fortune 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. Pang 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 and despair gripped the land, the Pan family set up relief kitchens to aid starving people within a hundred-mile radius—an act that became a celebrated tale of generosity. Ye Tingzhen, the then Magistrate of Yangcheng County, personally presented the Pan family with a plaque inscribed with “Benevolence Brings Longevity.”

　　(Text & Photo: Ma Hongtai)