Qiao's Family Compound (Qiao Jia Dayuan)
Qiao's Family Compound (Qiao Jia Dayuan)
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4.0
258 reviews
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KodoDrummer
Buenos Aires, Argentina70,626 contributions
Mar 2019 • Friends
This 9,000 square metre, private residential compound was constructed in the last half of the 18th century. It has 313 room and 25 courtyards of varying sizes. The courtyards include a grand courtyard, five other large, and 19 smaller ones. Its most famous resident was Qiao Zhiyong (1818 to 1907), a famous Chinese financier of the 19th century. The Qing dynasty architecture, wooden carvings, brick and stone carvings, and many other features are spectacular. The compound is sometimes used in movie sets. The movie “Raise the Red Lantern” was filmed here. The property is now used as a folk culture museum of Qixian County
Written March 28, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KodoDrummer
Buenos Aires, Argentina70,626 contributions
Oct 2019
Walking down a path to Qiaojiapu Village, we passed reproductions of some of the characters and life scenes of Joe's family.
Qiaojiayuan was founded in 1756 during the reign of Qianlong. There are six compounds, each with 20 courtyards and 313 houses. Surrounded by 10 meters of high-strength walls, as a rich man’s strong defence.
Qiao's courtyard was founded by Qiao Guifa. In the reign of Qianlong. He went to Baotou and opened a small shop by the surname of Qin, selling tofu, beans, pancakes and small groceries was a small village. The two worked together, managed with dedication and honesty, and bought and sold better and better. Baotou is the border between Inner Mongolia and Han Chinese, the business developed well, the two people named the "Guangshenggong."
Qiaojiayuan was founded in 1756 during the reign of Qianlong. There are six compounds, each with 20 courtyards and 313 houses. Surrounded by 10 meters of high-strength walls, as a rich man’s strong defence.
Qiao's courtyard was founded by Qiao Guifa. In the reign of Qianlong. He went to Baotou and opened a small shop by the surname of Qin, selling tofu, beans, pancakes and small groceries was a small village. The two worked together, managed with dedication and honesty, and bought and sold better and better. Baotou is the border between Inner Mongolia and Han Chinese, the business developed well, the two people named the "Guangshenggong."
Written October 25, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KodoDrummer
Buenos Aires, Argentina70,626 contributions
Aug 2020
This is how some of the rich families lived during the Qing Dynasty. It is the former compound-home of a wealthy merchant, Qiao Zhiyong and his extended family and select others.
Written September 30, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AiShiYin
China16 contributions
Having watched the movie, “Raise the Red Lantern” starring the striking and elegant Gong Li, I was keen to visit the Qiao Family Compound (Qiao Jia Da Yuan) where the movie was filmed and directed by Zhang Yimou.
A trip by bus (20 RMB one way) from Taiyuan’s downtown bus station to Qiao Town, Qi Xian County in Shanxi Province, took me to my destination (about 40 km) in July 2010.
According to my research, I learned that the Qiao Family Compound was first built in 1756 (Qing Dynasty) by Qiao Guifa, a successful tea and toufu merchant.
Once there, I admired six courtyards, including a lush garden with a small manmade waterfall. Inside many of the rooms, I gained an insight into how the Qiao family lived their lives, celebrated weddings and other festivals, the colourful and elegant clothing they wore, the exquisite ceramics / pottery and furniture they used, and the kind of transportation that helped them to get around.
On my visit, there were a lot of Chinese visitors, but few foreigners appreciating this impressive historical site. The ones I spoke to came from France or Holland. Perhaps this review and my photos will entice more foreigners to visit.
After visiting the Qiao Family Compound for 4-5 hours, we (the student who accompanied me as my translator) sought transportation to take us to the Ancient City of Pingyao. While standing on the highway (and being harassed by numerous aggressive bus and car drivers), we met two Chinese tourists who were also wanting to travel to Pingyao. Together we hired (after bargaining) a private car to take the four of us to Pingyao (80 RMB – my share was 40 RMB). Travelling by car proved to be a speedy, safe and effective way to get to Pingyao. Much better than waiting for a bus, and a decision you might want to tell you visit the Qiao Family Compound.
A trip by bus (20 RMB one way) from Taiyuan’s downtown bus station to Qiao Town, Qi Xian County in Shanxi Province, took me to my destination (about 40 km) in July 2010.
According to my research, I learned that the Qiao Family Compound was first built in 1756 (Qing Dynasty) by Qiao Guifa, a successful tea and toufu merchant.
Once there, I admired six courtyards, including a lush garden with a small manmade waterfall. Inside many of the rooms, I gained an insight into how the Qiao family lived their lives, celebrated weddings and other festivals, the colourful and elegant clothing they wore, the exquisite ceramics / pottery and furniture they used, and the kind of transportation that helped them to get around.
On my visit, there were a lot of Chinese visitors, but few foreigners appreciating this impressive historical site. The ones I spoke to came from France or Holland. Perhaps this review and my photos will entice more foreigners to visit.
After visiting the Qiao Family Compound for 4-5 hours, we (the student who accompanied me as my translator) sought transportation to take us to the Ancient City of Pingyao. While standing on the highway (and being harassed by numerous aggressive bus and car drivers), we met two Chinese tourists who were also wanting to travel to Pingyao. Together we hired (after bargaining) a private car to take the four of us to Pingyao (80 RMB – my share was 40 RMB). Travelling by car proved to be a speedy, safe and effective way to get to Pingyao. Much better than waiting for a bus, and a decision you might want to tell you visit the Qiao Family Compound.
Written August 31, 2010
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
sftraveler1
San Francisco, CA69 contributions
May 2012 • Friends
We went here in part because of "Raise the Red Lantern" and indeed there are a lot of red lanterns hanging here.
Have to say that it is much better to see Wang's family compound, although it is in the wrong direction if you're traveling between Pingyao and Taiyuan.
1. Quality of restoration of Qiao's family compound is inferior to that of Wang's.
2. Wang's is much larger--perhaps 4x as large--and the effect is really overwhelming. Qiao's feels much more crowded with the same number of visitors.
3. Wang's had some beautiful exhibits of the printmaker Li Qun--don't miss them
4. Qiao's is overrun with souvenir vendors who really ruin your experience. You are forced to run a long gauntlet of souvenir stands (all selling the same useless crap) until you reach the entrance. Once inside, many of the charming courtyard areas are ruined by more souvenir sellers. Wang's had a few souvenir and refreshment sellers, whom we appreciated when we needed to buy refreshments, but not so many that the experience was ruined.
Important: if you do decide to see Qiao's, you should make sure you buy your tickets in the parking lot before entering the gauntlet of souvenir sellers. There are no tickets for sale at the entrance to the compound.
Have to say that it is much better to see Wang's family compound, although it is in the wrong direction if you're traveling between Pingyao and Taiyuan.
1. Quality of restoration of Qiao's family compound is inferior to that of Wang's.
2. Wang's is much larger--perhaps 4x as large--and the effect is really overwhelming. Qiao's feels much more crowded with the same number of visitors.
3. Wang's had some beautiful exhibits of the printmaker Li Qun--don't miss them
4. Qiao's is overrun with souvenir vendors who really ruin your experience. You are forced to run a long gauntlet of souvenir stands (all selling the same useless crap) until you reach the entrance. Once inside, many of the charming courtyard areas are ruined by more souvenir sellers. Wang's had a few souvenir and refreshment sellers, whom we appreciated when we needed to buy refreshments, but not so many that the experience was ruined.
Important: if you do decide to see Qiao's, you should make sure you buy your tickets in the parking lot before entering the gauntlet of souvenir sellers. There are no tickets for sale at the entrance to the compound.
Written June 4, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ConnoisseurGal
Calgary, Canada183 contributions
Feb 2019 • Couples
The master had six wives and each one has her own courtyard, but the favourite had not only her courtyard but a beautiful garden with pagoda and lake too. Qiao family courtyard is about an hour away from Pingyao Ancient City, so hire a car and driver, more convenient than bus tours. This place is the location for Zhang Yi Mou’s famous Raise the Red Lantern movie. The place is huge, follow the arrows and visit the compounds in order, from first wife to last. Bathrooms are widely spaced, so when you see one, use it. Bring your own paper. No soap sometimes. All squat toilets. Each area has furniture, art, and descriptions in English. Worth the effort to go.
Written April 13, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ginis23
Shanghai, China75 contributions
Jun 2016 • Friends
To begin with, I watched the movie "Raise the Red Lantern" which was filmed in this compound and then I kind of got a whole different understanding of why this place is so interesting. The movie summary is this: "China in the 1920's. After her father's death, nineteen year old Songlian is forced to marry Chen Zuoqian, the lord of a powerful family. Fifty year old Chen has already three wives, each of them living in separate houses within the great castle. The competition between the wives is tough, as their master's attention carries power, status and privilege. Each night Chen must decide with which wife to spend the night and a red lantern is lit in front of the house of his choice. And each wife schemes and plots to make sure it's hers. However, things get out of hand..." Now the place gets a lot of meaning if you keep in mind that each single house within the complex has a different story, if you don't know the story honestly most of it will all look the same, however, if your tour guide is quite good he will lead you through a really intriguin place full of history.
Written June 28, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Chanda D
Jackson, WY38 contributions
May 2016 • Friends
If you want good example of the rich merchants lived then this is a must see. I would recommend hiring a guide and they have some that are at the gate. You can go in many of the building and there are English descriptions too. There are many vendors within the grounds but that is the only negative.
Written May 4, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gary Y
Singapore, Singapore290 contributions
Mar 2013 • Couples
I believe this place got really famous becuse of the landmark movie from China "Raise the red lanterns" in the 90s. But what really appealed to us during the visit was learning about the lives for the rich during the Qing Dynasty and the histories and deeds of the Qiao's. The compound wasn't that huge (we were told there are others like 10 times bigger) but certainly interesting layout.
The section or coutyard where the movie was well maintained and definitely reminisced. To get nice pictures, it's really important to avoid the crowd. We came for 2 hours visiting between 3-5pm during winter and it wasn't crowded at all.
If you aren't proficient in mandarin, definitely need a tour guide to get a better understanding about what this place is really about.
The section or coutyard where the movie was well maintained and definitely reminisced. To get nice pictures, it's really important to avoid the crowd. We came for 2 hours visiting between 3-5pm during winter and it wasn't crowded at all.
If you aren't proficient in mandarin, definitely need a tour guide to get a better understanding about what this place is really about.
Written November 2, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
formershrink
New Jersey, USA660 contributions
Dec 2012 • Family
This is a sprawling traditional family compound that appears to largely be of 20th Century brick construction, with some ornate but run-down decorative features. If you happen to be passing by, this can be a mildly interesting peek into how people lived in the early 20th Century. I think most foreign tourists visiting China are looking for something a bit older, more unusual, and more interesting. If you go out of your way to visit here, you will be disappointed. They have a bakery there that sells tasty cookies.
Written December 2, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Qualìè l'orario di apertura e quanto tempo ci vuole per visitare la casa della fam. Qiao e quanto è distante da Pingyao
Written July 6, 2018
Hi Thomas
Is it possible top get there by public transportation from Pingyao Ancient City? If so, how long will it take?
Written August 31, 2016
There is public transport available however you will take a few buses to get where you need to go. In a private car it is 45 to 60 minutes drive from Pingyao Ancient Town. When you get there you will also have to get around and interpret what you see by yourself.
We did it with a private guide called Jonathan Zhang who also organised a car with a driver, much, much easier and we also saw the Shuanglin Temple on the way back.
Don't miss the Wang Family Compound it's a must see!
Written September 1, 2016
Hi Ginis
How did you find your guide? What did it cost? How did you get there?
Thanks
Written August 31, 2016
You cant miss the guides for hire because they are directly across from the ticket counters. We also booked a driver that took us to Pingyao for a couple days and then to the Qiao compound.
Written September 7, 2016
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