The Lv Family Courtyard

　　Located on the north side of Caishen’ge Street in the central district of Jining City, Shandong Province, it was originally the private residence of Lü Dezhen (courtesy name Jingzhi) and built during the late Qing Dynasty. The Lv Family Courtyard consists of three courtyards. The main gate has three bays, with two red-painted grand doors on a high step. Behind the screen wall is the front reception hall. The second courtyard was used to receive relatives and family members, featuring a three-bay passageway, a three-bay official room, and three-bay wing rooms on both the east and west sides. All are flush-gable style buildings, roofed with gray tiles, with front corridors and rear verandas. Channels on either side of the main room lead to the rear courtyard. The third courtyard is the building courtyard, which includes a two-story main hall building with five bays on each floor. It features a double-eave flush-gable roof, covered with gray tiles, front corridors and rear verandas, and ear-verandas at both ends. There are also three-bay wing buildings on the east and west sides that complement the main hall in a harmonious design. A garden is located in the northwest corner of the property, with an artificial hill made from piled earth and rocks, along with pavilions, all creating an elegant and tranquil environment. The courtyard is planted with a variety of exotic flowers and trees such as crabapple, lilac, and privet.

　　　　Lü Jingzhi, a native of Jining, came from a family that originally engaged in commerce. However, due to factors such as inflation, the business went bankrupt. Lü fled to Tianjin to escape debts, and all immovable properties were handled by the “creditors' group.” The Lv Family Courtyard was later purchased from the “creditors' group” by Zhang Ziran (also known as Zhang Guangbi), the leader of the Yi Guan Dao (a reactionary sect banned by the government in the early 1950s). The courtyard then changed ownership to the Zhang family and became a venue for Yi Guan Dao activities. In 1965, it served as the office of the Jining Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, and in 1968, it was converted into the municipal party committee (now the central district) government guesthouse. Currently, only the second courtyard of the original building remains and is a key cultural relic under protection in Jining City.