AccScience Publishing / JCAU / Volume 4 / Issue 1 / DOI: 10.36922/jcau.v4i1.47
ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Pingyao Historic City and Qiao Family Courtyard

Donia Zhang1*
Show Less
1 Neoland School of Chinese Culture, Canada
Journal of Chinese Architecture and Urbanism 2022, 4(1), 47 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.v4i1.47
Submitted: 27 July 2021 | Accepted: 15 February 2022 | Published: 11 March 2022
© 2022 by the Authors. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution -Noncommercial 4.0 International License (CC-by the license) ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ )
Abstract

Historic cities all over the world are facing challenges on how to best preserve their architectural heritage. We need good examples to follow. This study explores the historic city of Pingyao in China’s Shanxi Province, and the Qiao Family Courtyard in Qiaojiapu Village of Qi County nearby. Pingyao is a representative of northern Chinese city planning and vernacular architecture during the Ming (1368‒1644) and Qing (1644‒1911) dynasties, and it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. Qiao Family Courtyard is famous not only because of its majestic architectural compound and exquisite craftsmanship, but also it embodies the unique style of Chinese residential architecture in the Qing dynasty. Zhang Yimou’s 1991 film “Raise the Red Lantern” was shot here. Hu Mei’s 2006 TV series “Qiao’s Grand Courtyard” based on the business history of the family have made the compound internationally acclaimed. From an architectural and urbanist perspective, this paper examines what has made Pingyao Historic City and the Qiao Family Courtyard resilient and responsible. The findings reveal, among other things that, Confucian ethics of honesty, trustworthiness, and righteousness were the backbone accounting for the robust success of Shanxi merchants who held deep-rooted cultural values, and who conducted their businesses accordingly. 

Keywords
Courtyard house
Vernacular architecture
Historic preservation
Chinese urbanism
Chinese architecture
Chinese culture
Conflict of interest
The author declares no conflict of interest.
References
[1]

CCTV-10. “Zhongguo yingxiang fangzhi” pingyao pian (The local records of China: Pingyao), 2017, viewed January 25, 2021, http://tv.cctv.com/special/zgyxfz/sx/jz/py/index.shtml?spm=C59377.PGrLEEsCoIK6.EGEjYuv8NQ1G.425

[2]

Gov cn. “Shijie wenhua yichan - pingyao gucheng” (World Cultural Heritage - Pingyao Historic City), 2006/2013, viewed May 20, 2021, http://www.gov.cn/test/200603/28/content_238428.htm

[3]

Shanxi dianying zhi pian chang paishe (Shanxi Film Studio Production) “Shanxi shangren: Qiao jia da yuan” (Shanxi merchants: Qiao family courtyard). 2004, Shanxi yinxiang chuban she (Shanxi Education Audio and Video Publishing House), Taiyuan, China. 

[4]

Dong P (Ed.). Ping Yao Gucheng (Pingyao historic city). 2007/2013, Shanxi Jingji Chubanshe (Shanxi Economic Press), Taiyuan, China. 

[5]

Knapp RG. Chinese houses: the architectural heritage of a nation. 2005, Tuttle Publishing, North Clarendon, VT. 

[6]

Shanxi Jinlong. “Tanmi pingyao gucheng, ta shi zhongguo xiancun zui wanzheng de gucheng, shijie wenhua yichan, you 2700 duo nian de lishi” (Explore the historic city of Pingyao, the most complete old city in China, a World Heritage Site, with a history of more than 2700 years), 2020, viewed 30 January 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGyisTvSOnQ

[7]

Shanxi Jinlong. “Shi pai pingyao gucheng li chenghuangmiao, guang yitian dou mei guang chulai, shizai tai da tai wanzhengle” (A real shot of the Chenghuang Temple in Pingyao Historic City, I haven’t finished seeing it in a day, it’s too big and complete), 2020, viewed 8 February 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUHU2Nf-Rtk

[8]

Zhang D. Cultural symbols in Chinese architecture [J]. Architecture and Design Review, 2019, 1(1): 1-17. http://doi.org/10.24294/adr.v1i1.211

[9]

Zelin M. Chinese business practice in the late imperial period [J]. Enterprise & Society, 2013, 14(4): 769-793.

[10]

Shanxi Jinlong. “Shi pai zhongguo lishi shang di yi jia yinhang, ri sheng chang, zuoluo yu pingyao gucheng” (The real shot of the first bank in Chinese history, Rishengchang, located in the historic city of Pingyao), 2020, viewed 14 February 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtMjz0-dWsw 

[11]

Shanxi Jinlong. “Shi pai shanxi pingyao gucheng, tanfang huabei di yi biaoju” (A real shot of the historic city of Pingyao, Shanxi, and a visit to the first escort in northern China), 2020, viewed 15 February 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFQ7zNKxP5Y

[12]

Zuo Z (Ed.). Ping Yao Gucheng Yinglian (Pingyao historic city couplets). 2009/2015, Shanxi Jingji Chubanshe (Shanxi Economic Press), Taiyuan, China.

[13]

Lo A. Transforming Pingyao’s historic courtyard homes, 2017, viewed 31 May 2021, https://www.cnn.com/2017/11/06/asia/pingyao-china-courtyard-homes/index.html

[14]

Sina Shanxi. “Pingyao gucheng shou pi 48 chu shang bai nian gu minju dedao xiushan” (The first batch of 48 old dwellings in the historic city of Pingyao have been repaired), 2014, viewed 5 May 2021, http://shanxi.sina.com.cn/news/report/2014-09-13/111469078.html

[15]

Knapp RG. China’s old dwellings. 2000, University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, HI. 

[16]

Shanxi Jinlong. “Shi pai shanxi qiao jia da yuan, you san jian baobei shijie hanjian, cixi taihou cengjing laiguo” (The real shot of the Qiao Family Courtyard in Shanxi, where there are three treasures that are rare in the world, Empress Cixi once visited), 2020, viewed 5 February 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcKN0nNcfvU

[17]

Hao R. “Qiao jia jian shi: Qiao jia liu dai ren de mingyun” (A brief history of the Qiao family: the fate of six generations of the Qiao family). 2015, Sanjin Chubanshe (Sanjin Press), Taiyuan, China.

[18]

Areddy JT. China creates its own digital currency, a first for major economy, Wall Street Journal, 2021, viewed 21 June 2021, https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-creates-its-own-digital-currency-a-first-for-major-economy-11617634118

[19]

Broby D. China’s digital currency could be the future of money – but does it threaten global stability? The Conversation, 2021, viewed 21 June 2021, https://theconversation.com/chinas-digital-currency-could-be-the-future-of-money-but-does-it-threaten-global-stability-160560 

[20]

Manganiello F, Sariel-Gaon N. How China’s digital currency is leading the race to displace bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, South China Morning Post, 2021, viewed 21 June 2021, https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3136506/how-chinas-digital-currency-leading-race-displace-bitcoin-and-other

Share
Back to top
Journal of Chinese Architecture and Urbanism, Electronic ISSN: 2717-5626 Published by AccScience Publishing