Yangliuqing Museum

　　The Shi Family Courtyard is a late Qing Dynasty residential complex known as the "Number One Mansion in North China." It is the best-preserved and largest complex of late Qing Dynasty civilian residences in China. Its architectural style is elegant and luxurious, with exquisitely detailed brick, wood, and stone carvings, and the interior furnishings reflect strong local customs. Built during the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty, it was the residence of Shi Yuanshi, the fourth son of Shi Wan Cheng, one of the Eight Great Families of Tianjin, and was called the Zunmei Hall.

　　The Shi Family Courtyard was the home of the Shi family located at Shibao Heng. Construction began in the first year of the Guangxu reign (1875), and the main buildings were completed two years later. Subsequent expansions, demolitions, and renovations took place over nearly 50 years, eventually resulting in a massive estate covering more than 6,000 square meters, with 15 courtyards and 278 rooms. It earned the reputations of "First House of Western Tianjin" and "Number One Mansion in North China," and is the largest civilian residence in northern China. The hanging floral entrance gate is a masterpiece of traditional palace architecture, showcasing its luxury and nobility. The gate towers of the three-tiered hanging floral gates are all finely carved, and the "Eight Steeds" and "Phoenix Facing the Sun" carvings on the stone drums of the gate pillars took two skilled stonemasons a year to complete, costing 500 taels of silver.

　　Upon entering the main gate, there is a wide and long central pathway that serves as the axis of the courtyard complex. The corridors and covered walkways extend approximately 800 meters, and along the central path there are five exquisitely built gate towers of various styles. The gate towers gradually increase in height from south to north, symbolizing "rising steadily in status," while each courtyard gate has three steps, representing "promoting three levels at a time." On the east and west sides of the pathway are five courtyards each. The eastern courtyards served as private living quarters, containing an internal accounting office, guest reception room, study, mandarin duck hall, and living quarters for the women of the household. These areas now display Yangliuqing New Year paintings, clay sculptures, wood carvings, brick carvings, and Tianjin folk customs—very interesting to explore. The western courtyards were used for receiving distinguished guests, featuring a grand reception hall, warm hall, large theater, ancestral hall, and more, now largely restored to their original appearance. Compared to the private living quarters, the construction materials here are more refined, and the craftsmanship is more intricate. The grand reception hall courtyard features a large canopy nearly 5 meters high, which could shelter against wind and rain; in those days, it could be seen from far outside the town. The theater is spacious and luxurious, capable of seating 200 people for performances and banquets—it is the largest theater among civilian residences in North China. Renowned Peking opera actors such as Sun Juxian and Tan Xinpei once performed here. The carved wooden lattice screens are all made from natural nanmu wood, finely carved, and extremely luxurious. To the west of the western courtyards are three more courtyards used as classrooms for private tutors and other specialized rooms.

　　After the Shi family moved away, the estate began to decline. During the Nationalist period, it was often occupied by troops who arbitrarily demolished and altered parts of it. After the devastation of the Cultural Revolution, the estate was completely unrecognizable. Restoration began in 1987, and in 1992 it opened to the public as the Yangliuqing Museum.

　　Address: Yangliuqing Town, Xiqing District

　　Phone: 27391617

　　Shi Yuanshi (1849–1919)　　Shi Yuanshi (1849–1919), courtesy name Ciqing, was a representative figure of the Shi family of Yangliuqing, one of the "Eight Great Families of Tianjin" in the late Qing Dynasty, and the owner of the Shi Family Courtyard (now the Yangliuqing Museum). He amassed wealth through land ownership, usury, and business ventures. In 1894, during the First Sino-Japanese War, he established a landlord militia group in Yangliuqing, Tianjin. After the invasion of Tianjin by the Eight-Nation Alliance in 1900, he aligned with the Qing government’s pro-foreign policies to protect the partial interests of the landlord class, advocating for the establishment of the Yangliuqing Support Bureau to serve the imperialist forces stationed in Yangliuqing. He also formed a security patrol unit to maintain local order, ensuring that Yangliuqing and the western Tianjin area were spared from the ravages of war. He welcomed......  More+

The Yangliuqing Museum is aAAAA-grade attraction

Shi Family Courtyard