Qiao Family Compound 乔家大院Qiáojiā Dàyuàn

Walled courtyards of a Qing merchant-banking family, the set for Raise the Red Lantern

Best time: Apr–May, Sep–Oct
Time needed: 2–3 hours
Days to budget: Half a day
Stay in: Pingyao
Region: Shanxi
Type: Heritage
Listed as: 5A scenic area, National heritage site

Why go to Qiao Family Compound

In Qiaojiabao village in Qi county, about 30 km north-east of Pingyao, the Qiao family's mansion is a walled cluster of grey-brick courtyard houses begun in the 1750s and later home to the merchant-banker Qiao Zhiyong (1818–1907). Walk from courtyard to courtyard and through rooms laid out with period furniture and displays on merchant life, farming customs and local festivals.

The story

Zhang Yimou shot his 1991 film Raise the Red Lantern here, using the compound as the house where Gong Li's character becomes the fourth wife of a wealthy man. The 2006 television drama Qiao's Grand Courtyard, about Qiao Zhiyong himself, was filmed here too.

What to see at Qiao Family Compound

Gate and Hundred Longevity Screen 大门与百寿图照壁: The gate is built like a city-gate tunnel under a tall tower, and the brick screen facing it carves the character for longevity in a hundred different forms.
Stone Lane and Ancestral Hall 石铺甬道与祠堂: An 80-metre paved lane runs straight through the compound, with three courtyards on each side, and ends at the family ancestral hall facing the gate.
Old Courtyard 老院: The oldest part of the compound, with a thick-walled two-storey main house and a small brick-carved earth-god shrine between the main and side courtyards.
New and Northwest Courtyards 新院·西北院: Later generations added large glass window panes and Western-style fittings here, including a bathroom with an indoor toilet beside the drawing room.
Rooftop walkways and chimneys 屋顶走道与烟囱: The roofs are linked by walkways once used for night patrols, and each of the 140 or so chimneys has its own design.

How to visit Qiao Family Compound

Enter by the gate and walk the long lane; three courtyards open off the north side, in order the Old, Northwest and Study courtyards, and the same number lie to the south. The rooms hold the folk museum's displays on farming, life ceremonies, festivals and trade, as well as the film and television props. Two to three hours covers it, and the compound fits on a day between Taiyuan and Pingyao.

How to get to Qiao Family Compound

Qixian East station, about 30 minutes from Taiyuan South by high-speed train, is under 20 km from the compound by taxi. From Pingyao (about 30 km) or Taiyuan (about 54 km), a taxi or hired car takes an hour or less.

Where to stay

Qiao's compound is usually a stop on a day trip, so base yourself in the old town of Pingyao, or in Qi County's historic town if you want to be close; Taiyuan is the other option.

What to eat

Pinched noodle bits 掐疙瘩: A Jinzhong home staple of small, grooved noodle pieces pinched off the dough by hand and eaten with a strongly flavoured sauce.
Oil tea 油茶: A thick, savoury toasted-flour drink with a history of more than a thousand years in the Pingyao area, often drunk with steamed bread at breakfast.

Tips for visiting Qiao Family Compound

The compound lies roughly on the way between Taiyuan and Pingyao, so it fits well into a transfer day; the Wang Family Compound is in the opposite direction, south-west of Pingyao.
Among the displays is a collection of props from the many films and TV dramas shot here.

Nearby

Pingyao Ancient City 平遥古城 30 km
An intact Ming walled town of courtyard inns, where China's first draft banks were born
Jinci Temple 晋祠 30 km
Song-dynasty halls, painted clay maidservants and a cross-shaped bridge at the Jin springs
Shuanglin Temple 双林寺 40 km
Some 2,000 painted clay Buddhas, saints and guardians crowded into ten temple halls
Shanxi Museum 山西博物院 50 km
Bronzes of the ancient state of Jin, Buddhist statues and tomb treasures on the Fen River
Mount Mian 绵山 70 km
Cliff temples, plank walkways and gorges on the mountain of the Cold Food legend
Wang Family Compound 王家大院 80 km
Fortified courtyard 'castles' of a Qing merchant and official clan on a loess hillside

Also within 30 km: Xingfan Temple 兴梵寺 (under 10 km), Zhenhe Tower 祁县镇河楼 (under 10 km), Cao Family Mansion 曹家大院 (under 10 km), Guanghua Temple 光化寺 (under 10 km), Anchan Temple 安禅寺 (10 km), Yao Temple, Qingxu 清徐尧庙 (10 km).

On the map

Open Qiao Family Compound on the illustrated map to see the terrain around it, what else is close, and to add it to a trip and plan the days.

Open Qiao Family Compound on the map