[2025 Yongzhou Attraction] Travel Guide for Zhou Family Courtyard (Updated Jun)

Yongzhou is not a well-known tourist destination. I discovered this hidden gem with its unknown history and beautiful scenery by chance during a two-day stopover on my way to Guilin. Yongzhou is a place where history, culture, and natural landscapes blend together, as depicted in Liu Zongyuan's "Record of the Little Stone Pond." It boasts well-preserved ancient cities and temples, rustic traditional villages, and picturesque karst geological landscapes. If you're curious about this place, you can follow my two-day one-night Yongzhou travel guide. Itinerary Day 1: Lingling Ancient City—Liuzi Temple—Little Stone Pond—Wumiao Temple—Wenmiao Temple—Xiangling Mountain—Yongzhou Museum—Pingzhou Academy—Huilong Tower Day 2: Zhou Family Courtyard—Ningyuan Wenmiao Temple—Jiuyi Mountain—Yunlongfang—Shanggan Tang Ancient Village Attraction Highlights Pingzhou Academy: Known for the "Spring Flood at Pingzhou," one of Yongzhou's eight scenic spots, featuring numerous famous poets' inscriptions. Huilong Tower: A unique and photogenic tower with blue and white colors. Wenmiao Temple + Wumiao Temple: Although under renovation, these sites record the traces of Yongzhou's history. Lingling Ancient City + Liuzi Temple: A temple built to commemorate the Tang Dynasty writer Liu Zongyuan, featuring ancient architecture and cultural relics. Jiuyi Mountain: The burial site of Emperor Shun, with a rich historical and cultural background. You can visit Emperor Shun's Mausoleum to learn about his legends and history. Zhou Family Courtyard: A well-preserved ancient village from the Ming and Qing Dynasties with unique architectural styles. Stroll through the village to experience the charm of ancient architecture and the lifestyle of the past. Shanggan Tang Ancient Village: A tranquil and beautiful ancient village with a long history. The ancient buildings and stone-paved roads reveal the passage of time. Local Food Recommendations: 1. Yongzhou Blood Duck: Tender duck meat with duck blood, spicy and flavorful, perfect with rice. 2. Dong'an Chicken: Tender chicken with a sweet and sour taste, offering a unique flavor. 3. Ningyuan Stuffed Tofu: Tofu filled with meat, pan-fried until golden, then cooked, offering a rich texture and delicious broth. 4. Yongzhou Braised Rice Noodles: Smooth and chewy rice noodles with a savory broth and various seasonings, very tempting. Practical Information 🚄 Transportation: Yongzhou has an airport for direct flights, or you can first reach Guilin and then take a train to Yongzhou. Once in Yongzhou, you can rent a car on the Trip.com platform to complete your two-day tour. 🏨 Accommodation: Yongzhou city is not large, offering a variety of accommodation options to suit different budgets.

| This little-known courtyard is so beautiful. Zhou Family Courtyard in Yongzhou, Hunan is a hidden gem with few tourists. If you like ancient architecture, don't miss it. Zhou Family Courtyard is a well-preserved ancient architectural complex with a long history and rich cultural heritage. There are still residents living here, most of whom are elderly, and it is known as the "Folk Forbidden City." I like the white walls and black tiles of the courtyard walls, and I also like the various windows here. You can feel the charm of the small bridges and flowing water. In autumn and winter, the ginkgo trees quietly stretch out from the courtyard, decorating the autumn of this courtyard. It is very beautiful. I also recommend walking along the path outside the Zhou Family Courtyard. It is a very comfortable small village. In spring, there are rapeseed flowers, which is another beautiful scenery. 🏠 Basic Information 👑 Name: Zhou Family Courtyard 📍 Address: No. 22, Group 1, Ganyantou Village, Fujiaqiao Town, Lingling District, Yongzhou City, Hunan Province 💰 Ticket: Sometimes tickets are charged, sometimes not. When tickets are charged, they are CNY 10 or CNY 30. ⏰ Opening Hours: 8:30–17:30 🍀 Travel photography and exploring hidden travel destinations 🍀 ❤️ Continuously updating, like and follow if you like ❤️

The National Historic and Cultural Village, Yongzhou Zhou Family Courtyard. From Yongzhou Railway Station, walk straight for about 100 meters to the bus stop, take the 306 bus (3 yuan) or the 301 bus (2 yuan) to the "Municipal Square" stop. The journey takes about an hour. After getting off, transfer to the green bus from "Huai Su Bus Station - Zhou Family Courtyard" at the same stop. The bus runs about every half an hour, and it takes 40 minutes to reach the Zhou Family Courtyard. The ticket price is 8 yuan. The Zhou Family Courtyard was built during the Ming Dynasty and has a history of nearly 480 years. It is the residence of the descendants of Zhou Dunyi, the master of Neo-Confucianism in the Song Dynasty. The entire village is composed of the old courtyard, the new courtyard, the Red Gate Tower, the Black Gate Tower, the Ziyan Mansion, and the Four Great Family Courtyards. The layout resembles the Big Dipper constellation. The architectural scale is grand, simple, and magnificent, with a profound cultural and historical heritage. Surrounded by beautiful mountains and waters, it is a rare cultural heritage site and has been designated as a "National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit." Many villagers still live in the courtyard, and they are warm and hospitable, knowledgeable and courteous. They work hard every day and live peacefully. In conversations with the villagers, it is surprising to find that some elderly people and village women have a wide range of knowledge and behave quite appropriately, truly worthy of being descendants of the great Neo-Confucianist master. The development of the scenic area is not very well done. Many antique courtyards, majestic gate towers, and exquisite carvings are slightly worn out. The villagers' explanation is "lack of funds." According to regulations, there is an entrance fee for the scenic area, but there are very few tourists, so there is no one guarding the entrance. If you want to see the grand mansions and exquisite ancient houses, you may be disappointed. However, if you just want to find a beautiful countryside to relax and explore the ancient mysteries, this is a place worth visiting.

Yongzhou's most famous Ming and Qing architectural complex - the Zhou Family Mansion, known as the 'Folk Palace'. The Zhou Family Mansion is located at the southern foot of the Wuling Mountain Range. It was built by the descendants of Zhou Dunyi, a famous Neo-Confucian scholar of the Song Dynasty during the Ming Dynasty, and has been thriving for 27 generations for nearly 600 years. The descendants have glorified the Zhou family. The ancient architectural complex of the mansion is huge, with black-tiled, green-brick, and white-walled courtyards scattered in the green fields, with mountains and rivers nearby, and its momentum is magnificent. There are countless ancestral houses, halls, and rooms, horse-head walls, wooden doors and stone piers, dragon and phoenix reliefs, and wood-carved windows, majestic and prominent. 'Loyal ministers and filial sons, reading and farming' is the core of all plaques and couplets, and it is also the family rule and ethics of the Zhou Family Mansion, the way of the world. Isn't every mansion in China the same?

Zhou Family Mansion was first built in the 29th year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty (1550), consisting of six groups of residential houses including the old house, Red Gate Building, Black Gate Building, new house, Ziyan Mansion, and Four Big Family Courtyards. All the people living in the mansion are descendants of Zhou Dunyi, the founder of Song Dynasty's idealist philosophy, hence the name "Zhou Family Mansion". The new house was first built in the 21st year of Daoguang in the Qing Dynasty (1841), which is the first courtyard built by the Zhou family in the Qing Dynasty, a new masterpiece compared to the old house. In addition, there are Four Big Family Courtyards, Ziyan Mansion and other courtyards. 🚄Travel tips: There are buses in Yongzhou indoor going to the village, very convenient.