Wang's Grand Courtyard is a hidden treasure in Shanxi for sightseeing
Wang's Grand Courtyard was built over more than three hundred years during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The entire complex consists of five alleys, six fortresses, and one street, covering an area of 250,000 square meters, which is 100,000 square kilometers larger than the Forbidden City, making it the largest private residence in China, known as the 'Folk Forbidden City'. So it's quite tiring to visit, but definitely worth it! With limited time, I decided to visit Wang's Grand Courtyard!
🌟 Three Highlights of Wang's Grand Courtyard
1️⃣ The Imperial Edict
This is an imperial edict issued to the Wang family during the reign of Emperor Jiaqing, preserved by generations of the Wang family and later voluntarily donated. This edict is not only a precious physical document left by the Wang family's ancestors, but also a reference for studying the history of the Qing dynasty, the documentation system, the bureaucracy, calligraphy, knitting, and their evolution and development.
2️⃣ The Thousand-Worker Bed
The 'Thousand-Worker Bed' displayed in the 'bridal chamber' of the Dunhou Mansion's backyard uses various decorative techniques such as carving, inlaying, painting, and drawing. It features red as the main color to reflect the festive atmosphere, paired with the vibrant Chinese red and the rich gold lacquer, showcasing its unique elegance as a 'wedding bed'.
3️⃣ The Complete Map of the Great Qing's Eternal Unification
The 'Complete Map of the Great Qing's Eternal Unification' displayed in the Ningrui Residence's hall is a printed edition, but it is a valuable scientific document for studying the historical changes of China's territory and administrative regions.
History has witnessed its beginnings, development, and decline. In the vast courtyard, beyond the visible prosperity and grandeur, one begins to ponder and explore the reasons for the decline of Wang's Grand Courtyard, as well as how to prevent such events from happening to ourselves.
✅ The main reasons for the decline of Wang's Grand Courtyard are:
1️⃣ The Wang family began to decline after the Daoguang era of the Qing dynasty, mainly due to the lack of ambition among the descendants and increasing extravagance. The descendants of the Wang family, due to opium and the avoidance of war, sold their vast family business to outsiders and fled to Sichuan with substantial wealth (the spiritual decline due to opium addiction).
2️⃣ The grand scale, huge cost, and lavishness of Wang's Grand Courtyard inevitably attracted excessive restrictions from the imperial court. The court's increasing exploitation of the Shanxi merchants made it difficult for the Wang family to escape misfortune (restrictions caused by excessive luxury).
3️⃣ The Wang family's ideal of achieving success through the imperial examinations and fundamentally growing their business led to their decline (forgetting the core competitiveness that initially led to their wealth).
Therefore, only by choosing the right direction, keeping up with the times, adhering to the original intention, living frugally, keeping a low profile, practicing self-discipline, and working diligently can wealth be passed down from generation to generation, and the family prosper!
✅ When visiting, it is essential to hire a guide. Without a guide, it's like a dog looking at the stars, wandering from room to room without understanding the significance of Wang's Grand Courtyard, only recognizing it as a Qing dynasty architectural style. However, with a guide, you will understand how meticulous and meaningful the Qing dynasty architecture of Wang's Grand Courtyard is. The architectural style is detailed in every aspect, from the front hall to the back bedroom, with a courtyard style that ensures privacy and distinguishes between the noble and the humble. The thresholds, carvings, stone piers, and brick carvings of the courtyard all have unique meanings, and every detail is breathtaking.
✅ For example, the kirin at the entrance symbolizes wealth, the steps on both sides of the entrance must be symmetrical, the crane and turtle represent longevity, and the monkeys on the stone pillars represent generations of nobility. There are too many details; this is the style of architecture during the Qing dynasty, while the adjacent Ming dynasty architecture is much simpler without so many details. As for why, that's something for the guide to explain in detail.
Too powerful, a private compound presents such an appalling style, Jin was really the bustling of Central Plains at that time, now people go to the courtyard empty, the pace of the times is unstoppable, Shengji will decline, the sun and the moon will change.
It is convenient to buy tickets on Trip.com. You can brush the QR code or ID card. The scale of the King's Courtyard in Jinzhong Lingshi is huge. The accumulation and development of generations of Wang's Ming and Qing Dynasties. It is worth seeing Shanxi on the ground.
The Wangjia Courtyard is very good. It is convenient to park outside the scenic spot. It is basically at the entrance of the compound after walking through the commercial street. The compound is built on the mountain. Although it is uphill, the road is slow and the elderly can bear it. When you come back, it is more convenient to take the side road of the city wall. The overall tour is very convenient. If you are tired, There are a lot of stools to sit down
I have seen several courtyards, and in contrast, the architectural style of the Wang Family Courtyard is unique and exquisite. The yard is too big to walk around and it is very tired.
The Wang family compound is worth watching, but the bundle of joint tickets for sale is very bad, and there is no interest in other places! The overall layout of the Wang family compound is exquisite, the Wang character is opened on both sides with vertical axis, and the building bricks and wood carvings inside are exquisitely carved, but the open area is only less than one-third of them...
There are many buildings in Shanxi compound, and the layout of the building is similar, so you can visit one. The Wang family compound is more representative. First of all, its area is large enough, and secondly, its architecture and layout, including sculpture, are very representative, it is worth watching carefully.
It is worth a visit, the tickets are not expensive, the ancient preserved compound. Convenient transportation, take the train to Lingshi County, Jinzhong City, and then take the bus directly to this attraction. You can understand the ancient training of the ancients, there is also a celebrity memorial hall inside, very good