[2025 Gongyi Attraction] Travel Guide for Kang Bai Wan Zhuang Yuan (Updated Apr)

The Gongyi itinerary arrived at the Kang Million Manor, one of the three largest manors in China (Liu Wencai Manor in Sichuan/Mou Erhei Manor in Shandong), and the most representative large-scale landlord manor building integrating agriculture, officialdom, and commerce in the Central Plains during the Ming and Qing dynasties. It is now a national key cultural relic protection unit and a national 4A scenic spot. "Kang Million" was a name bestowed by Empress Dowager Cixi after the Kang family donated one million taels of silver, which later became the collective name of the family. The Kang family started their business in the early Ming Dynasty, migrating from Hongtong, Shanxi to Gong County, Henan. They initially developed comprehensively through farming, fishing, and sericulture. During the reigns of Kangxi and Yongzheng in the Qing Dynasty, they entered a period of rapid development, owning more than 4,000 mu of land. During the reigns of Qianlong, Jiaqing, Daoguang, and Xianfeng, they entered their heyday, began cooperating with the Qing court, and received large supply bookings for military uniforms and quilts. Family members entered the imperial court, and the family owned land and shops in multiple provinces across the country. During the reigns of Tongzhi and Guangxu, around the time Cixi bestowed the name "Kang Million," the Kang family also began to decline, until the end of their centuries-long prosperity during the Republic of China and the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. The existing area of the Kang family manor is considerable (33 courtyards, 53 buildings, more than 1,300 rooms, and 73 cave dwellings). The main residential area is relatively well-preserved, with most of the buildings remaining from the Qing Dynasty. The overall highlights include the architectural layout, carving art, and plaque culture. The tour takes about two hours. Having seen many Shanxi courtyard houses before, the carvings here are mainly practical and simple, not as dense, and the cave dwellings and slate houses have local characteristics. The plaques are the most unique, including imperial gifts, family mottos, business-related plaques, and donations from the common people, etc. A large number of plaques can be seen in the main residential area. The entrance fee is 50 yuan (free for female visitors today). It is worth a visit. You can hire a guide or do some research in advance. The number of visitors is usually manageable. It is not far from the city center, with direct buses to the vicinity and convenient taxi access.

Located in Kangdian Town, Gongyi City, Henan Province, the Kang Million Manor is a large family manor built in the style of a Loess Plateau fortress. Its construction began in the mid-Ming Dynasty, giving it a history of over 400 years. The manor covers an area of 64,300 square meters and consists of 19 building complexes, with 33 courtyards, 53 buildings, 97 bungalows, and 73 cave dwellings. The manor features buildings facing the street, cave dwellings built against the cliffs, fortified walls surrounding the complex, and a wharf by the river. It integrates agricultural, official, and commercial styles, boasting a rigorous layout and a grand scale. The main preserved areas include the core residential area, the warehouse area, the workshop area, the South Courtyard, and the ancestral hall. The exquisite stone carvings, wood carvings, and brick carvings within the manor are known as a marvel of Central Plains art.

🐉Kang Baiwan Manor, a huge manor built by the Kang family in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, was home to the Kang family for 13 generations. The family started as local officials in the late Ming Dynasty, but as the government became corrupt, they started a shipping business, accumulated wealth, and became landlords. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, they hosted Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu, who were fleeing to Xi'an and then returning to Beijing, which made them famous. 🐉The Kang family was charitable and often helped the local poor. They donated money to build water conservancy projects to resist floods. After the fall of the Qing Dynasty, they joined the May Fourth Movement. During the Anti-Japanese War, they sold their property to raise funds for the war. The family has always valued education and has been prosperous for a long time. The existing manor buildings are well preserved, and walking in them is like being in Qing society. There is a castle in the garden, which is a typical house fortress wall. The rockery, ancient trees, and carvings are everywhere, and you can feel the luxurious heritage. They also formed a group to defend their homes during the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom period. 🇨🇳Experience 5,000 years of Chinese civilization and inherit Chinese civilization

| The No. 1 Mansion in Central Plains. 1️⃣Kangbaiwan Manor, located in Zhengzhou, China, was built in the mid-Ming Dynasty and took shape in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties. Kangbaiwan Manor is a representative of the feudal fortress-style buildings on the Loess Plateau in North China in the 17th and 18th centuries. It is known as the spiritual home of Yu merchants and a model of ancient buildings in the Central Plains. The manor retains the form of Loess Plateau folk houses and northern courtyards, while absorbing the characteristics of official buildings, gardens, and military fortress buildings. The manor is mainly in the architectural style of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, covering an area of more than 240 mu and built on the mountain. There are a total of 33 courtyards, 53 buildings, 97 bungalows, and 73 cave dwellings, with a total of 571 buildings. It is known as the No. 1 Mansion in Central Plains. 2️⃣The entire manor is divided into the main house area, the stack room area, and the south courtyard. There are 7 courtyards in the main house area, all of which are two-entry courtyards. The courtyards have a large number of rockeries, flower walls🌸, grapes🍇, bamboo, etc., as well as some old paintings and calligraphy, costumes, and explanations of important events of the Kang family in various periods. The stack room area has a ship museum🚢 with ships from various periods🐮 Although they are all model displays, they are still very exquisite The South Courtyard introduces the representative figures and deeds of the Kang family in each period, as well as the family motto: "Leave a surplus, and return the ingenuity to creation; leave a surplus, and return the endless fortune to the court; leave a surplus, and return the endless wealth to the people; leave a surplus, and return the endless blessings to future generations" 3️⃣ Highlights👇 🌹Door pillow stone 🌹Golden nanmu top bed 🌹Leave a surplus plaque 🌹Underground vault 🌹200-year-old dragon and phoenix auspicious grape tree 🌹Ye's well 🌹Treasure cave 4️⃣ 📍:1. Gongyi City, take bus No. 8B to get there directly! 2. One hour drive from Zhengzhou 💰Tickets: 50 yuan/person (free for children under 1.4 meters and seniors over 60) 🕑Time: 8:30–18:00 5️⃣Recommended food:👍 Meat box (it's delicious), bun with skewers

The Luo River meanders past the west of Gongyi City, and on its banks lies Kangdian Village, where the typical feudal fortress-style building complex Kangbaiwan Manor is located. Because it backs onto Mang Mountain and faces the Luo River, it is known as the 'Golden Turtle Probing the Water.' Speaking of Kangbaiwan, many friends might be curious, who is Kangbaiwan? The so-called 'Kangbaiwan' refers to the manor owner Kang Yingkui, who twice hung the golden signboard 'Thousands of Acres of Good Land,' with land and shops spread across eight counties in Shandong, Shaanxi, and Henan provinces, earning him the title of 'Millionaire.' Later, when Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu returned to Beijing, they passed by Kangdian. The Kang family funded and supervised the construction of Heishiguan, the county town, the official palace, and the 'Dragon Kiln,' spending over 1 million taels of silver and donating another 1 million taels to the Qing court, earning fame from Empress Dowager Cixi. Therefore, 'Kangbaiwan' here does not specifically refer to one person but is a collective term for Kang Dayong, Kang Yingkui, Kang Jiande, and other members of the Kang family since the Ming and Qing dynasties. Speaking of this, some friends might be curious about the concept of the Kang family's assets. During the Republic of China period, there was a saying, 'East Liu (Liu Xiaowu), West Zhang (Zhang Fang), and in between, Old Kang (Kang family),' referring to the three great wealthy families of the Central Plains. To be more specific, there was another saying, 'Head resting on Jingyang, Xi'an, feet stepping on Linyi, Jinan; horses running a thousand miles without eating other people's grass, people traveling a thousand miles all on Kang family land.' Moreover, during the Ming and Qing dynasties, Kangbaiwan, along with Shen Wansan and Ruan Zilan, were known as the three 'Living Gods of Wealth' in Chinese folklore. These aspects highlight their financial power, and even more remarkable is that the Kang family maintained their wealth for twelve generations over more than four hundred years, demonstrating the difficulty of maintaining wealth, the strictness of family discipline, and the firmness of their will. Currently, the main preserved parts of Kangbaiwan Manor include the main residential area, warehouse area, South Courtyard, ancestral hall area, and ten other sections. Its architectural style is fortress-like (buildings along the street, cave dwellings against the mountain, docks by the river, and fortified walls), retaining the forms of Loess Plateau dwellings and northern quadrangles, while incorporating features of official residences, gardens, and military fortresses. Unlike the styles of Shanxi merchants (such as the Qiao Family Compound), Huizhou merchants (such as Huizhou Merchant Mansions), and guilds, it is the most unique ancient architectural group among Central Plains dwellings. 🌟Core highlights within the manor: First-class stone-carved door threshold stones according to national stone carving grading standards, a golden nanmu wood-carved canopy bed that took over 17,000 hours to complete, the Wang family stone-carved archway, the Kang Lin three-stele pavilion of brick carvings, the chastity archway built with imperial permission during the Qing Dynasty, the moon-worship table embodying family traditions, and the 'Leave Some' plaque, one of China's famous plaques; as well as items and places reflecting the Kang family's wealth, such as the riverboat, the large abacus, and the gold and silver vault. Among these, I find the two most meaningful artifacts to be the 'Leave Some' plaque and the moon-worship table, as the family teachings inscribed on these artifacts are the epitome of the Kang family's ability to maintain wealth for fourteen generations. The 'Leave Some' plaque, now hanging in the main residential area of Kangbaiwan Manor, is a family teaching plaque for educating the Kang family's descendants. It is also a concentrated embodiment of the Confucian doctrine of the mean, 'Do not exhaust your wealth, do not exhaust your power.' The 'Leave Some' plaque has a unique shape, resembling an unfolded flag with a concave top and convex bottom. The concave top signifies 'leaving some for the heavens,' being accountable to the court; the convex bottom signifies 'leaving some for the earth,' being accountable to the people and descendants. The plaque contains seventy-four characters, with the main text reading: 'The Taoist of Leaving Some inscribed four maxims: Leave some skill, do not exhaust it, to return to nature; leave some salary, do not exhaust it, to return to the court; leave some wealth, do not exhaust it, to return to the people; leave some blessings, do not exhaust them, to return to the descendants. For nature abhors excess, and things done to the extreme often lead to regret.' The moon-worship table is located within the Kang family courtyard, with a mirror embedded in the ground below the table and an inscription on the bottom of the table (the back side): 'A stubborn stone, who says it has spirit? Who knows that after carving, it can reveal its true nature. Scrape off the dirt and polish it, its edges and corners are like jade. The pillars above and below are like hills, the shape and form reflect the virtue...' This teaches the descendants to understand poetry and propriety. The ingenious design lies in the correspondence between the mirror and the inscription, and the mirror's correspondence with the bright moon. Every Mid-Autumn Festival, when the Kang family worships the moon at the moon-worship table, the moonlight shines on the mirror, and the host instructs the descendants to look at the inscription in the mirror, reminding them to pass on the family tradition through poetry and books, strive for progress, maintain wealth with difficulty, and be humble. In summary, if you come to Henan for Zhengzhou, Luoyang, or Kaifeng, I would recommend you visit Gongyi. Kangbaiwan Manor is well worth it, and the nearby Gongyi Grottoes are also very worthwhile! ☑️Location: 3 kilometers west of Gongyi Railway Station, recommended to take a taxi ☑️Ticket: 50 yuan, open year-round 8:30-18:00 ☑️Cultural relic level: National key cultural relic protection unit (built in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties) ☑️Surrounding cultural relics: Gongyi Grottoes (national protection, one of China's top ten grottoes) Reference: 'Decoding Kangbaiwan Manor,' 'Research on Kangbaiwan Manor'

In Zhengzhou, there is a place that carries the weight of years—Kangbaiwan Manor. With awe and curiosity for history, I stepped into this ancient manor. Entering Kangbaiwan Manor is like walking into a tunnel of time. The ancient buildings are solemn and majestic, each brick and tile telling a story of the past. Wandering through the courtyards, exquisite wood carvings, stone carvings, and brick carvings can be seen everywhere, with craftsmanship that is truly admirable. These carvings are not only a display of art but also a testament to history. Walking along the corridor, one feels the tranquility and solemnity. The furnishings in the rooms are still preserved as they were, as if one could see the scenes of people living here in the past. From the heights of the manor, overlooking the entire complex, the scale is grand and the momentum is magnificent. The well-arranged layout highlights the wisdom and boldness of the ancients. In Kangbaiwan Manor, one can also feel a strong cultural atmosphere. This place has witnessed how many rises and falls, how many stories have happened here. Every detail is worth savoring, every corner contains endless mysteries. During the visit, my heart was filled with emotion for history. Kangbaiwan Manor is not just a building, it is a living history textbook. When leaving Kangbaiwan Manor, I was filled with great harvest and emotion. The history, culture, and architectural art here will forever remain in my heart, becoming a precious journey in my memory. Zhengzhou·Kangbaiwan Manor, a place worth exploring for its historical treasures.

Kang Baiwan Manor, also known as Heluo Chuangjia, was first built in the middle of the Ming Dynasty and was formally established in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. It is a representative of the Fengsubao-style architecture on the Loess Plateau in North China in the 17th and 18th centuries, and is known as the home of the Henan merchants' spirit and a model of ancient architecture in the Central Plains. It was announced as the fifth batch of national protected sites in 2001. Kang Baiwan is a general term for the Kang Yingkui family, the "living god of wealth in the Central Plains" since the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The Kang family has lived in this manor for 12 generations, spanning the Ming, Qing and Republic of China eras, for a total of more than 400 years. They are richer than Shen Wanshan, a wealthy man in Jiangnan in the early Ming Dynasty, and their wealth is limitless. The main preserved parts of the manor are the main residence area on the frontier, the residential area below the frontier, and the southern Compound. Ancestral hall area, workshop area, vegetable garden area, Longwogou. There are ten major parts including Jingu Garden and the fence area, with a total of 33 courtyards, 53 buildings, 97 bungalows and 73 cave dwellings. The total construction area is 64,300 square meters: Highlights: "Leave a Remaining Page": The Kang family's family motto for educating their younger brothers, written by Yu Linniu in the Qing Dynasty. It is one of the famous Chinese inscriptions treasured in Kang's millionaire estate and is carved from boxwood. Dingzi bed: It is made of wood with golden thread and carved with 36 patterns, including a unicorn delivering a child and two hands waving a rope. It consists of 37 parts, and no nails are used on the whole bed. It is completely put on by clocks and can be taken apart. It took 10 skilled craftsmen more than 17,000 working hours and nearly 5 years to complete. Doorstop stone: It is made of a whole piece of bluestone and is carved in three layers, with a novel composition, exquisite carving, vivid and lifelike figures and animals, and vivid scenes. It is a first-class stone carving in China. √ Chastity Arch: It was built by the Mi family at the request of Emperor Minghuang of the Qing Dynasty about 100 years ago. The stone piers, stone pillars and other parts of the stone are all elegantly inscribed with the "Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars" and "Fisherman, Farmer and Reader". The rooms with paintings of dragons and phoenixes, rare birds and animals record the honorary vases of the Kang family. The residences, commercial buildings, workshops, school administration, ancestral temples, village huts, and flowers in the manor The gardens, pavilions, underground vaults, underground passages, and buildings for holding prisoners and raising elephants and soldiers are ingeniously designed and are worth visiting and appreciating carefully. Address: Kangdian Town, Gongyi City (formerly Gong County), Zhengzhou City, Henan Province Tickets: 50 yuan, online price 47 yuan Opening hours: Summer 8:00-18:00; Winter 8:00-17:30

Kang Million Manor retains the form of loess plateau dwellings and northern quadrangles, and absorbs the characteristics of official, garden, and military fortress buildings. It is a representative ancient architectural group of Central Plains dwellings. Kang Million Manor is over 400 years old and was once the home of the wealthy Kang family. The prosperity of a family is not only dependent on one generation, but the foundation laid by several generations to achieve a great cause. What is passed down is not the rare treasures and millions of wealth, but the unbroken strict family style and family instructions.

Kang Baiwan Manor, also known as Heluo Kang's, is located in Zhengzhou City, China, and was first built in the middle of the Ming Dynasty, and took shape at the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty! Kang Baiwan Manor is a large-scale residential manor that has gone through the Ming, Qing, and Republic of China periods. It backs on to Mang Mountain, faces the Luo River, is built according to the mountain, has a beautiful environment, is high and overlooks, backs on the slope and faces the river, the terrain is dangerous, easy to defend and difficult to attack! Kang Baiwan Manor is stronger than Shanxi Qiao's Grand Courtyard, Wang's Grand Courtyard and other courtyards in terms of scale and the exquisite degree of architecture. It is a typical example of high-platform fortress architecture! It witnessed the rise and fall of a family's 20 generations; it also left a precious manor cultural heritage for future generations!

Kang Baiwan Manor is located in Gongyi City, Zhengzhou. It was a landlord manor in the past. It is very large, like a small town and also like a military castle, with thick walls, towers and turrets. It is located on a small hill. The owner’s home is very different from the courtyards in Shanxi. Maybe they are wealthy business families in the city, and the Kang family became rich very early. In the late Qing Dynasty, they had a high status as officials and businessmen. The manor was built with great momentum and exquisite architecture, with strong Ming and Qing characteristics. It is well worth a visit!