| Qiao Family Compound | |
|---|---|
乔家大院 | |
 The Jingyi House of the Qiao Family Compound | |
  Location in Shanxi, China | |
| General information | |
| Location | Qi County,Shanxi,China |
| Coordinates | 37°24′21.86″N112°25′47.93″E / 37.4060722°N 112.4299806°E /37.4060722; 112.4299806 |
| Qiao Family Compound | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 喬家大院 | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 乔家大院 | ||||||||
| Literal meaning | TheQiao Family'sCourtyard House | ||||||||
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| Zaizhong Hall | |||||||||
| Chinese | 在中堂 | ||||||||
| Literal meaning | Middle Hall | ||||||||
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TheQiao Family Compound, originally theZaizhong Hall and officiallyQiao's Grand Courtyard, is acourtyard house located inQi County,Jinzhong Prefecture,Shanxi Province,China, approximately 30 kilometers (20 mi) northeast ofPingyao. It is the residential compound of financierQiao Zhiyong (乔致庸/喬致庸, 1818—1907), who was the most famous member of the Qiao family.[1] Construction began in 1756 during the reign of theQianlong Emperor in theQing dynasty and was completed sometime in the 18th century. The estate covers 9,000 square metres (97,000 sq ft) and has 313 rooms with 4,000 square metres (43,000 sq ft) within 6 large courtyards and 19 smaller courtyards.
Architects consider it to be one of the finest remaining examples of imposing private residences in northern China.[citation needed] It has been converted into a museum and has many period furnishings.
It is the chief location in theZhang Yimou filmRaise the Red Lantern. A 2006 Chinese television series,Qiao's Grand Courtyard, was also shot here.[2]
