Ancient Architectural Complex of Guobi Village

　　The ancient architectural complex of Guobi Village is located in Guobi Village on the western bank of the Qinshui River in Qinshui County, Shanxi Province. During the Ming Dynasty, the main street of the village was as long as five li, earning it the reputation of “Golden Guobi.” The village faces east and backs onto mountains while bordering the river, forming a strip-like layout. On the eastern side of the village, there is a stone retaining wall along the river, while the western mountain is fortified with a rammed earth wall. The village is divided into sections known as “fang” and “li,” such as “Ningyuan Fang” and “Sanhuai Li.” Inside the village, there are multiple inner gate towers and overstreet towers. Pedestrians pass beneath the overstreet towers, which also serve as temple pavilions or stages. On the hillside, there is an inner gate tower featuring a unique T-shaped gate opening. The village houses a “Temple to Lord Cui,” dedicated to the memory of the upright official Cui Yu, which contains a music tower built in the seventh year of the Tianqi era of the Ming Dynasty (1627). The residential houses in the village are typical of the southeastern Shanxi style, mainly two- or three-story courtyard homes, most of which date back to the late Ming and Qing dynasties. The northern part of the village retains relatively well-preserved residences and ancient streets, with higher-quality architecture and decoration. Several luxurious residences known as “Jinshi Mansion” are preserved here, featuring exquisite brick, stone, and wood carvings. Some gate towers are fronted by brick screens carved with the characters “Loyalty” and “Filial Piety.” On the hill northwest of the village lies the scholarly estate “Qingxiang Li,” commonly known as “Wang Family Cave,” where prominent residences of the Wang family are concentrated. It is referred to as a “fort within a fort,” with all lanes paved in flagstones. To the south is an ancient academy with a two-story library building of five bays, supported by six stone pillars over 10 meters tall. Inside the building are couplets and slogans dating from before the late Qing Dynasty, the Anti-Japanese War, and the Cultural Revolution period.

　　This area was once an important passageway for external trade in Shanxi, known for its thriving economy, flourishing culture, bustling merchants, and immense wealth. Over the dynasties, it produced many scholars, with over a dozen successful imperial examination candidates during the Ming and Qing periods, making it the site of an ancient town administrative center.

　　The residences in Guobi Ancient Town were built around family units, connected by ancestral temples and city walls to form forts or walled settlements. The integration of these forts or settlements with the surrounding landscape created a distinctive architectural complex.

　　The ancient architectural complex of Guobi currently preserves over 3,400 Ming and Qing-era residential houses, hundreds of cave dwellings, seven temples, ten [note: possibly missing context], thirteen residences of Jinshi (successful imperial examination candidates), one imperial travel palace structure, two ancestral halls, and eighteen ancient wells. The overall architectural layout is traditionally described as consisting of “Three Cities” and “Three Forts,” stretching approximately 2,500 meters from north to south, with an ancient commercial street running through it. Major complexes include the Temple to Lord Cui, the Town Travel Palace, the ancient ferry crossing, residential clusters of the Zhang and Zhao families, and Sanhuai Li.

　　The ancient village of Guobi integrates residential, commercial, cultural, defensive, and ceremonial buildings. With its diverse architectural styles, it stands as a representative example of a rural market town from the Ming and Qing periods. It serves as valuable physical evidence for studying the social, political, economic, cultural, and military aspects of that era, holding significant historical value.

　　A sixth batch National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit. Located 40 kilometers south of Qinshui County on the western bank of the Qinshui River, the site faces east and backs onto mountains while overlooking the river. It includes two natural villages: Guonan and Guobei. Since ancient times, Guobi has been an important ferry on the Qinshui River and a major commercial hub in southeastern Shanxi during the Ming and Qing periods, earning the title “Golden Guobi.” Today, Guobi not only retains a large number of Ming and Qing residential buildings but also preserves a largely intact li- and fang-style layout. The residences are mainly built with blue bricks in two- or three-story courtyard layouts, with important buildings featuring elaborately decorated gate towers and screen walls. Currently, Guobei preserves multiple “Jinshi Mansion” and “Dazhong Mansion” residences, as well as intact compounds such as “Qingxiang Li” and “Sanhuai Li.” At the entrance of Guonan Village stands the Temple to Lord Cui, which houses a music pavilion rebuilt in the early Ming Dynasty. On the high western hill of the village are the remnants of an “Imperial Travel Palace” and the “Dai Temple.”

　　Ancient Architectural Complex of Guobi Village

　　Ancient Architectural Complex of Guobi Village (Sixth Batch National Heritage)

　　Period: Ming to Qing Dynasties

　　Location: Guobi Village, Jiafeng Town, Qinshui County