Cao's courtyard

The courtyard of Cao's family, the richest man in Taigu County, has been set up as a three Hall Museum (i.e. Duofu, Duoshou, Duozi) because of its numerous cultural relics. The architectural style of the courtyard is antique, north-south accommodation, unique structure, majestic and tall, which can be called "the wonderful flower of Chinese folk houses".

The courtyard now displays the classic furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties with the business history of the Cao family and the treasures of the Cao family. For example, the "longevity screen" made of 92 pieces of natural marbles is engraved with 100 characters of longevity on the back with gold powder. The gold locomotive clock in the treasure hall is indeed a rare treasure. The best way is to stand on the top of the building and overlook the whole building. Compared with the treasures of the Cao family, the stories of digging the courtyard are more moving and interesting, such as the hardships of the ancestors of the Cao family in starting a business, the secrets of women's boudoir, and so on.

Cao's courtyard

Cao's courtyard, also known as sandotang, is a traditional residential building of Ming and Qing Dynasties. It is located 5 kilometers southwest of Taigu County in Shanxi Province, next to 108 National Highway.

Cao's courtyard is a residence of Cao's family, a wealthy Shanxi businessman in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It covers an area of 10600 square meters (2014). The overall layout is in the shape of "Shou". It is known as "the wonderful flower of Chinese folk houses". In 1999, it was set up as the sandotang Museum. Taigu caojia courtyard Museum has 277 houses, which has a history of more than 400 years.

Courtyard pattern

Overall pattern

With unique architectural style, it is one of the representatives of ancient traditional residential buildings in northern China. From a distance, the Cao family's courtyard is shaped like "Shou". This "Shou" courtyard is a branch of the Cao family's Wantang, which is traditionally called "San duo Tang" according to its many blessings, longevity and sons. The compound is divided into two parts, North and south. There are three halls in the East and West, which are connected with three three storey buildings. There are 15 small courtyards inside, and there are more than 270 existing houses.

The architectural style of Cao's courtyard not only integrates the architectural style of North and south, but also absorbs the ancient architectural style of Europe.

Courtyard features

The overall structure of Cao's courtyard is the shape of "Shou" in seal script. The main body of the hall is composed of three four storey halls with pavilions on the top.

architectural art

Sculpture art

The floor tiles of Cao's courtyard are paved with square bricks (known as diamond bricks in the folk), and the corners of the beams are painted with gold powder.

During the Anti Japanese war in 1937, Japanese soldiers used bayonets to scrape away the painted gold powder from Cao's courtyard. After the founding of new China in 1949, the state began to take over Chang's manor and began to maintain it. After years of war, Cao's courtyard had been seriously damaged.

Architectural decoration

The design of Cao's courtyard is divided into three courtyard houses in the north and the south by a corridor. In the north, there are Duozi, Duofu and Duoshou courtyard. The old people live in the East, the master is in the middle, and the descendants live in the West. It's a corridor high in the West and low in the East. When people in the house step out of the gate, they will go westward, and people will go up. The three main buildings in the north are the essence of Cao family courtyard. There are three pavilions paved with pigs, cattle and sheep. The roof of the main building is located at the top of the shape of "Shou" in sanduotang, and the person who ascends the building is standing at the top of the shape of "Shou".

History and culture

Family history

Cao Bangyan, the ancestor of the Cao family, was born in Huata village of Jinci, Taiyuan. He made a living selling casseroles. In Hongwu year of Ming Dynasty, his family moved to Beiji village of Taigu and worked as a farmer. In the 14th generation of the "three" generation, Cao Sanxi, who made a lot of profits by doing business in Guandong alone, had the business name of Cao family in the so-called "seven halls outside Guandong". When the Qing troops entered the pass, they did business in the pass. They first set up a number in Taigu and radiated to the whole country.

During the reign of Daoguang and Xianfeng, it reached its peak. There were more than 640 shops of the Cao family in the north and south of the river, with assets of 12 million silver and 37000 employees. At that time, people said that "wherever there are sparrows flying, there are Cao's shops.". Later, he went abroad to Japan in the East, Moscow in the north, Paris and London in the West. He exported domestic tea and cloth to foreign countries and introduced Japanese steel, Korean ginseng and Russian metal products. Cao's family has developed a "Tea Road" between Shanxi and Mongolia, which is comparable to the "Silk Road" in history.

After the reign of Emperor Guangxu in 1895 and the year of gengzi, because of war, commercial competition and offspring's extravagance, Cao family's compound finally declined.

In its heyday, the Cao family successively built a number of large and magnificent houses in Beiji village, such as Wugui hall, Huaiyi hall, Fushan hall, Sanduo hall, etc., especially the four most representative ones in the shape of "Fu", "Lu", "Shou" and "Xi". The surviving "shouzhaiyuan" is a branch of the Cao family. It is used to be called the "three Duotang" with the contents of Duofu, Duoshou and duonan.

Family development

The Cao family is in business

In the Hongwu Period of the early Ming Dynasty, Cao Bangyan, a peddler with a wheelbarrow, saw that the land around Beiwang village was rich and beautiful, so he moved here with his family to make a living farming.

After more than 200 years, Cao's family has become a small asset. One of them, Cao Sanxi, is a key turning point for Cao's family to move from a farmer to a great businessman. He went to three pagoda villages in Northeast Rehe province and made a living by planting vegetables, raising pigs and grinding tofu. After accumulating a little, he began to use the local rich sorghum to make wine. The wine making industry became the first development direction of Cao's family Industry.

After Cao Sanxi had money, he put it into the development of other industries, and his business soon developed into the grocery industry and pawn industry. Caojia's business expanded from Chaoyang to Shenyang, Jinzhou, Japan and other places, and finally established its strong business base in Northeast China in the late Ming Dynasty.

By 1664, Cao's business had developed from outside the pass to inside the pass, and finally dominated most of China. Not only that, Cao's business also went abroad to the world, as far as Tokyo in Japan, Pyongyang in North Korea, Irkutsk in Russia, chaktu and Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia, as far as Berlin in Germany, Paris in France, New Delhi in India, and as far as London across the English Channel. Across Europe and Asia, across tens of thousands of miles, not only in the business history of Shanxi people, but also in the business history of Chinese people.

Heyday

During the reign of Daoguang and Xianfeng in the Qing Dynasty, the business of the Cao family reached its peak, with more than 640 firms, assets of more than 10 million taels of silver, and a total of 37000 employees. In families with better economy, parents should give their children and grandchildren a hall name, one for each son.

Sandotang was founded by the 19th generation of Cao family. Sanduo means to have many sons, many blessings and many lifespans. Beside Sanduo hall are Wugui hall and Huaiyi hall. The other churches declined one after another after their heyday, and only three or more of them remained prosperous.

There are more than 640 caojia businesses, of which sandotang accounts for more than 400, with total assets of more than 10 million taels of silver, sandotang more than 6 million taels, total employees of more than 37000, and sandotang more than 22000 people. Therefore, sandotang is not only a branch of Caoji family, but also an outstanding representative of Caoji business.

Film and television culture

film

TV play

Main attractions

Development and construction

The caojia compound in Taigu County was officially opened to the outside world in 1995. The buildings of Ming, Qing and Republic of China are preserved. It is a newly developed cultural tourist attraction of Shanxi merchants.

Before 2006, the shooting of "bitter cauliflower", "Di Renjie", "Liangjian" and other TV series was set in Cao's courtyard.

After 2006, "silver Empire" and "wolf venom flower" were also shot here.

Honor of scenic spot

In October 1995, the caojia compound was officially opened and became a hot spot of tourism in Jinzhong, Shanxi Province. It is a key cultural relic protection unit at the provincial level.

In 1999, caojia courtyard in Shanxi Province was rated as "top ten famous excellent tourist attractions in Shanxi Province" and "provincial civilized scenic spots (spots)".

In 2001, passed ISO9000 international quality management system certification.

In 2003, it was rated as China's top ten civilization demonstration tourist attractions.

On May 25, 2006, as an ancient building from Ming Dynasty to Qing Dynasty, caojia courtyard was approved by the State Council to be listed in the Sixth Batch of national key cultural relics protection units.

tourist guide

Scenic spot information

The best travel time of caojia courtyard

Taigu County has a warm temperate monsoon climate, with four distinct seasons, long winter and short summer, and warm rain in the same season. The annual average temperature is 7.9 ℃ - 11.7 ℃.

Reference fare and opening hours

Tourist routes

1. Beijing, Tianjin (Expressway) - Shijiazhuang Taiyuan

Original (get off the expressway from the exit of Qixian County, turn right and go straight for about 2km) - Taigu County - caojia courtyard.

2. Shandong (Jinan on the highway) - Shijiazhuang, Taiyuan (from the exit of Qi county off the highway, turn right straight about 2 km) - Taigu County - caojia courtyard.

3. Inner Mongolia (Hohhot takes national highway 201 and 101) - Datong (shangdayun Expressway) - Taiyuan (get off the expressway from Qixian exit, turn right and go straight for about 2 km) - Taigu County - caojia courtyard

4. Henan Province（