#Wanrong Li Family Courtyard##Yanjing Li Family Courtyard#Travel Notes of Yuncheng Li Family Courtyard
Travel Notes of Yuncheng Li Family Courtyard
Perhaps because it is a bit low-key, although I have visited Qiao Family Courtyard, Shi Family Courtyard, Wang Family Courtyard, Chang Family Manor, as well as the Imperial Prime Minister's Mansion, Tianguan Prince's Mansion, GuoYu Ancient City, Diji City, and even Dingcun Folk Houses and Ma Family Courtyard in Pingyao Ancient City, I never knew about the Li Family Courtyard in Yuncheng until last winter when my nephew Li Heng visited it and sent me a message. At that time, I thought there were many courtyards in Shanxi, so it was nothing special. But then he said it was ten times the size of Qiao Family Courtyard, which caught my attention. After checking the information, although I had already decided not to visit any more Shanxi merchant "courtyards" after seeing Chang Family Manor, I felt I should find time to come here.
The Li Family Courtyard is located in Yanjing Village, Gaocun Township, Wanrong County, Yuncheng City, about 3 kilometers from the Yanjing exit of the expressway, making transportation very convenient.
On April 8, I drove to the Li Family Courtyard, which is also the office of the "Shanxi Charity Museum".
Ticket price: 60 yuan, parking fee: 10 yuan (unlimited time).
At the entrance, I read the introduction to the Li Family Courtyard. The Li Family Courtyard was first built during the Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty, originally consisting of 20 courtyard groups with 280 rooms. Now, 11 courtyard groups with 146 rooms remain.
I spent 4 hours touring the Li Family Courtyard. The main existing buildings include Guangshen Gate, Chongning Hall, Bell Tower (Fortune Bell), Drum Tower (Peace Drum), Stage, Wealth God Temple, Merit Hall, Twelve-sided Screen Wall, One-character Screen Wall, Goodness Screen Wall, Horse Hitching Posts, Goodness Path, Thousand Lions Garden, Hundred Springs Lake, Jingxing Tower, Li Family Ancestral Hall, Li Family Threshing Ground, Jingxinyi Merchant House (Jingyi Lane), Xikang Gate, as well as the vertical well-style traditional courtyard houses: Qinglu Hall, Dongjing Hall, Tongde Hall, Xinpu Hall, Tongshun Hall, Tongfu Hall, Gongzhong Hall, Sibu Hall, Antai Hall, Jingpu Hall. There is also the Chinese-Western Gothic-style Yijing Tower and Ziming Hall built by Li Ziyong after returning from studying abroad during the Republic of China period. Another noteworthy spot is the small and exquisite back garden near Tongde Hall.
Climbing Jingxing Tower, you can overlook the Li Family Courtyard and gaze into the distance, taking in the surrounding scenery. Especially the emerald green of Hundred Springs Lake and the lush greenery of the gardens are exquisitely beautiful. The lions of various shapes in the Thousand Lions Garden were likely collected from folk sources, and now they gather here. The lake water of Hundred Springs Lake reflects the rockery and Jingxiu Hall, making it particularly beautiful. Nearby, there is also a peach blossom garden, with bright red peach blossoms in full bloom, dazzling and charming.
In Chongning Hall, the 5.58-meter-high pure bronze statue of Lord Guan is the largest and heaviest indoor bronze statue in China, weighing 4 tons. Since Lord Guan's hometown is Xiezhou, Yuncheng, it is natural to enshrine Lord Guan here. The Peace Bell and Fortune Drum cost one yuan per strike, and indeed some people strike them for luck, with many devotees doing so personally.
Having seen various brick carvings, stone carvings, and wood carvings, I often marvel at these exquisite carving skills, which fully demonstrate the wisdom of ancient people. The Chinese people are very particular about feng shui, and in ancient times, building screen walls was common. The main functions of screen walls are to ward off evil, attract good fortune, gather wealth, and gather people. The Li Family Courtyard also has many screen walls. Many of them not only feature simple patterns of fortune, prosperity, and longevity but also stories and allusions symbolizing good luck, happiness, wealth, and honor, such as "fisherman, woodcutter, farmer, scholar," "carp leaping over the dragon gate," and "eight immortals celebrating longevity." These require slow savoring and appreciation. I think the most beautiful is the brick carving screen wall in front of Hundred Springs Lake, with lifelike and captivating images.
Ornately carved beams and painted rafters were a hallmark of wealthy families in ancient times, and the Li Family Courtyard is no exception. The Li family generations spared no expense in building their homes, striving for luxury and grandeur. This can be seen in the wood carvings on the structural parts of the buildings, such as beams, purlins, struts, brackets, and supporting elements like braces, protruding beams, beam pads, and sparrow brackets, as well as on the ceilings, partition boards, doors, and windows that form the outer corridor space. These carvings are all meticulously detailed.
In Tongde Hall, I saw brick carvings on the wall reading "Restrain oneself and restore propriety" (keji fuli). I was quite surprised, not knowing whether they were original or later restored. During the criticism of Lin Biao and Confucius, one important point was to criticize Confucius's doctrine of "restrain oneself and restore propriety." At that time, this place was a school, and it was astonishing that a group of passionate young people did not smash it.
The Li Family Courtyard was meticulously built by several generations of the Li family. The exhibition halls here showcase the Li family's charitable deeds, with a focus on promoting the word "goodness" (shan). The descendants of the Li family seized opportunities to prosper and become wealthy in their region. Now that tourism is being developed, a "breakthrough point" must be found. Regardless, in this era without class distinctions, promoting virtue, doing good deeds, and accumulating merit is still very correct.
It seems that the Li family never produced high-ranking officials; in this respect, the Li family members were more adept at business.
During the Anti-Japanese War, the Li Family Courtyard was occupied by the Japanese. After the victory, it was occupied by the Nationalist soldiers. After liberation, it was used by Yanjing Middle School, Yuncheng Agricultural School, and the Yanjing Branch of the Normal School. Now it has been developed into a tourist attraction, continuing to benefit the villagers of Yanjing.
What also attracted me were the numerous couplets. Whether they were left from the past or newly composed, they are all very meaningful. However, I think the couplets in the scenic area should be written in regular script as much as possible, since not everyone can recognize cursive script. Let me pick a few to enjoy together:
Goodness cultivates the body, farming brings wealth; Diligence compensates for stupidity, frugality leads to integrity.
If they are my descendants, do not begrudge giving away ten thousand gold; The benevolence passed down through the family will bring surplus for a hundred generations.
Who doesn't love money? See where it is spent. I too want to be rich, but wealth should be shared with the needy.
For a family to last a thousand generations, only practice goodness; The best thing in the world is to value reading.
To be rich yet know poverty is truly wise; To relieve famine and go into debt is truly a great benefactor.
When the country has no disasters, the people can be at peace; When people have good intentions, heaven will bless them.
Do good not because of retribution; Study not for the sake of fame.
All have bellies; the full should pity the hungry. All have faces; the rich should help the poor in times of need.
A heart of gold, an orchid chamber; Benevolence and righteousness as friends, morality as teacher.
Heaven rewards diligence; hard work and frugality pass down the family far. People's hearts incline to goodness; doing good and giving charity perpetuate the family long.
Speech's quality lies in reason; The Way has no ancient or modern, only its timeliness.
One's heart must not offend heaven and earth; One's words and deeds must set a good example for descendants.
With diligence, nothing is difficult in the world; With endurance, there is harmony in a hundred endurements.
Alright, it's time to end this. The four-hour tour passed不知不觉. There is no restaurant in the scenic area, so I will find a place outside to treat myself.
Opposite the Li Family Courtyard is a Yellow River Farming Civilization Expo Garden, which I will write about separately.
Goodness is the most precious treasure, hard to exhaust;
The heart as good land endures for a hundred generations.
If one does only good-hearted deeds,
Blessings will long bless descendants.
Author: Da Song Wanjun, written on April 10, 2021
