Li Family Mansion in Yanjing, Historical residence in Wanrong County, China.
The Li Family Courtyard is an extensive historical residence spanning multiple courtyards with carved stone, wooden structures, and decorative brickwork throughout. The entire complex demonstrates the characteristic features of traditional Shanxi architecture with carefully detailed facades and layered interior design.
The compound was founded in the Daoguang era of the Qing dynasty by the Li family, a Shanxi merchant clan originally surnamed Xiangli who fled famine from Hancheng, Shaanxi, to Wanquan County in Shanxi during the Yongle era. The thirteenth generation, brothers led by Li Wenbing, turned to trade and grew rich through philanthropy. After 1949 the courtyards served as a school; the Yuncheng government restored the site in 2006.
The Li family, originally surnamed Xiangli, fled famine from Hancheng, Shaanxi, to Wanquan County in Shanxi during the Yongle era of the Ming. The thirteenth generation, brothers led by Li Wenbing, turned from farming to trade and grew rich through charity. The compound's name reflects this: the Baishan screen wall carries 365 brick-carved shan (kindness) characters, one for each day of the year.
The complex covers 125 mu, with 11 courtyards and 146 rooms still standing, plus an ancestral hall and gardens. Enter through the main gate and work back toward the ancestral hall; the Baishan screen wall and the Gothic-style Tongfu gate tower are easy to pass without noticing. Allow time for the carved brick and wood details.
The Baishan screen wall carries 365 brick-carved characters for shan (kindness), one for each day of the year, matching the family's reputation for charity. The Lis, originally surnamed Xiangli, fled famine from Hancheng, Shaanxi, to Wanquan in the Ming Yongle era and rose through trade by the 13th generation.
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