[2025 Fenxi Attraction] Travel Guide for Courtyard of Family Shi (Updated Apr)

Where is it❓️ The 'hidden gem' of Shanxi Linfen! Navigate to 'Shijia Village, Fenxi County', step on the gas, and you'll be transported back to a wealthy village from 200 years ago! What's so special about this place❓️ ▶️ The 'mountain top mansion area' of Qing Dynasty tycoons: The Shijia family became wealthy through farming and studying during the Qianlong period, and later got rich through business, building 31 large courtyards on the hillside! Now, there are still many cave courtyards left, warm in winter and cool in summer, and also protected from bandits, showcasing the pinnacle of ancient wisdom. ▶️ Detail lovers rejoice: The brick-carved doorways are more expressive than your emoji collection—magpies bringing good news, grapes symbolizing abundance, the Eight Immortals crossing the sea... even the drainage slabs are carved with coin patterns! ▶️ Immersive script-killing venue: Explore secret passages hiding gold and silver, climb watchtowers for spotting bandits, and imagine a young lady throwing an embroidered ball from the window of the embroidery building (though this might not have actually happened, hhh). Must-visit spots ✅ Shijia Ancestral Courtyard: The most luxurious one with 'Ruiqi Ning' written on the door! Courtyards within courtyards, doors connecting doors, with elders living higher and juniors lower, embedding 'seniority' directly into the architecture. ✅ Embroidery Building: The VIP suite for young ladies! The wooden windows on the second floor are exquisitely carved, and it's said that unmarried girls could only secretly look outside from here. ✅ Stone-paved old alleys: The bluestone slabs are polished smooth, be careful on rainy days! But the photo atmosphere is perfect, wear Hanfu and transform into a Jin merchant's daughter. Lazy guide 💰 Tickets: Around 50 yuan (the price of a cup of milk tea for a time-travel experience) ⏰ Time: 2 hours is enough, recommended in the morning or after 3 PM for softer light and no sunburn 🚗 Transportation: Self-driving: 1.5 hours from Linfen, the latter part of the county road is a bit narrow, drive carefully Public transport: Take a bus from Linfen West Station to Fenxi County (1 hour), then a 10-minute taxi ride Who is it suitable for❓️ ✔️ Those who like less crowded, original ancient villages ✔️ Curious about old buildings/Jin merchant culture ✔️ Want to take beautiful, less crowded photos for social media Shijiagou Scenic Area

|The No. 1 village in the Qing Dynasty. Lesser-known attractions in Shanxi | The No. 1 village in the Qing Dynasty Shanxi is home to many courtyards, but the Shijia Courtyard, a Qing Dynasty cave dwelling hidden in the mountains, is a unique attraction. Location: Shijiagou Village, Fenxi County, Linfen City Shanxi is great for road trips. The Shijia Courtyard was built in the 32nd year of the Qianlong reign (1767) by the four Shi brothers after they became officials. Over 200 years, it was expanded by several generations into a family cave dwelling courtyard complex. The 24 courtyards are connected to each other, and every household is connected. The saying "Close the eight big doors, lock the ten small doors, and people can't leave the village" can only be understood by walking through the courtyards and experiencing the glory of the Shi family. Standing on a high place, you can see the Shijia Courtyard built on the mountain. The courtyards rise and fall, and the loess and sunset create a solemn and desolate atmosphere.

📍Address: Shijiagou Village, Sengnian Town, 5 km southeast of Fenxi County 🚗Transportation: Shanxi is great for self-driving, with many scattered ancient buildings 👍️Must-see: Shijia Courtyard has 31 courtyards, mainly quadrangle courtyards, two-entry quadrangle courtyards, two-story quadrangle courtyards, and three-story quadrangle courtyards. The courtyards have main rooms, living rooms, side rooms, halls, studies, embroidery buildings, moon-viewing rooms, gatehouses, and rooms for workers and stables. The buildings have primary and secondary structures, hidden and exposed, open and closed. The layout reflects the patriarchal hierarchy and Confucian ethics, with a focus on farming and reading. . The most valuable features of Shijia Courtyard are the brick carvings, wood carvings, and stone carvings, which combine traditional northern elements with southern Shanxi elements, showcasing high artistic and regional representation. 🎟️Tickets: CNY 25 per person

Built in 1769 during the reign of Emperor Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty, the Shi Family Courtyard was a filming location for the movie "Back to 1942". The courtyard fully embodies the architectural characteristics of the hilly and gully areas, such as building according to the terrain and building a house on the kiln. The entire architectural complex is built along the mountain, with high and low levels, perfectly integrated with the natural environment, which not only solves the restrictions of the terrain on the expansion of the courtyard, but also shows a unique architectural style. The Shi Family Courtyard is an outstanding representative of ancient Chinese residential buildings, with extremely high historical, artistic and scientific value, and is an important window for understanding ancient Chinese northern residential buildings and Jin merchant culture.

The ancient village of Shanxi is comparable to the Qiao Family Courtyard. There are almost no tourists for free Ming and Qing Dynasty. The Shanxi merchants in Shanxi are the most prosperous, with business all over the country. At the same time, many Shanxi merchants have been left in Shanxi. The Qiao Family Courtyard has gained a lot of reputation, and many of the courtyards are well-preserved, but because they are not famous, there are almost no tourists. There is an ancient village called Shijiagou in Luxi County. Among them, the Shijia Courtyard is an ancient building complex comparable to the Qiao Family Courtyard. Shijiagou is a remote ancient village with uncommon traffic. The ancient village is free but also very deserted. The Shijia Courtyard was built in the thirty-fourth year of Qing Emperor Qianlong (1769). Because of its remote location, it has escaped the wars of the Qing Dynasty and still retains the style of the Qing Dynasty ancient dwellings. More than 200 years ago, the division was a famous family in the Shanxi merchants. The ancestor of the division, Wen Bing, settled in Shijiagou, when the family did not have much improvement. It was not until the third generation of the Faze that the family grew. It was during the reign of Emperor Qianlong that the society was stable and the economy developed rapidly. The teachers cultivated the family and merged the farmer and the business. They also operated the bank, the pawnshop, and loan sharks. As the funds continue to increase, like other Shanxi businessmen, the division also set up the field, expand the family business, and build this division. There are a total of thirty-one courtyards in the Shijia Courtyard. The buildings are mainly courtyard houses, two-in-four courtyards, second-floor courtyards, and third-floor courtyards. The courtyard is connected by the roadway. The narrow roadway uses the traditional moon-hole door to separate the space. The courtyard and the courtyard are ingeniously connected, or the dark road, or the exit door, or the upper door is connected with other courtyards. It is really "When you walk into a hospital, you will cross the village door." Looking forward, the whole building complex and the mountain are naturally connected, blending together, and the floors are stacked, and they are scattered and row upon row. The majestic landscape is filled with the masculinity of the Loess Plateau. It can be said to be a classic of mountain architecture and a model of kiln living in farming. Shijiagou was developed late as a tourist scenic spot, and it is still in the original ecological state. There is almost no commercialization. There are not many choices for accommodation and eating in the village. If you like the quiet ancient village, Shijiagou is A good choice.