Jinzhong Grand Courtyard

Author: Wang Xianming (text), Li Yuxiang (photography)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-10-01
Features: Growing up in the countryside, I could only sense the boundless expanse of rural life from the view of distant mountains and nearby waters. As a child, I didn’t know what lay beyond the mountains beyond my familiar village. What is the countryside? In a child’s heart, it was the towering stacks of straw in the village’s open field, neatly arranged piles of wheat straw, the village’s own; the dilapidated temple of the grandmother (Goddess of Childbirth) at the head of the village, where relatives secretly offered prayers with a mix of fear and devotion during the heavily restricted era; the bustling crowds at the temple fairs, the playful banter between young men and women in the theater; the leisurely chats over bowls of "Hezi Fan" filled with food while gazing at the stars and moon under the well—this was the charm and life of the countryside. The concept of cities and urban life came with growth and education. From then on, I gained life experiences beyond the countryside and came to understand the differences between the countryside and the city. Due to historical reasons, the rural areas of Jinzhong have unique social and cultural characteristics and folk customs. At least in my memory, people from Qixian, Taigu, and Pingyao in Jinzhong would often look down upon outsiders from other parts of Shanxi with a slight disdain. Although there was little difference in living standards in rural Shanxi during the "People’s Commune" period, the people of Jinzhong always carried a sense of pride rooted in history—though it was merely a superficial feeling. Starting in the 1990s, the people of Jinzhong realized, through an accidental discovery, the economic value of the historical courtyards left behind. Many grand courtyard homes from the Ming and Qing dynasties were then recognized from different perspectives. From the Cao family’s San Duo Tang in Taibei Guancun to the Qiao family’s Qiaojiaopu in Qixian and the Wang family’s Jingsheng Town in Lingshi, these lines formed a typical hook-shaped pattern in the center of the Jinzhong map of Shanxi. Though famous for commerce, these courtyard homes were the landmarks of Jinzhong’s rural villages since the Ming and Qing dynasties. Across China, they are as rich in historical and cultural traditions and as unique in folk customs and daily life as the Tulou in Yongding, Fujian, and the residential buildings in Huizhou. Shanxi has many ancient villages, but few can match the long history and perfectly preserved village layouts of Jinzhong, all concentrated in the same region. However, Jinzhong’s social culture and folk customs cannot be fully represented by just a few ancient, luxurious courtyard homes. Even the culture and customs of the Jin merchants far exceed what these courtyards can encompass. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Jinzhong’s rural areas did not excel in academic achievements but were deeply influenced by the "emphasis on commerce" ethos, with social structures and value orientations clearly leaning toward business. The ancient courtyard homes were merely the historical crystallization of this regional social characteristic. The prosperity of Shanxi Opera during the late Qing and early Republican era, as well as the unique charm and group characteristics of Jinzhong’s folk performances, were closely tied to the actions and beliefs of the wealthy merchant families behind the courtyard homes. In the rural areas of Qixian, Taigu, and Pingyao, known as the "Golden Triangle" during the Ming and Qing dynasties, even a village girl could sing a piece of authentic "Qita Yangge." The Yangge opera, brimming with strong rural sentiment and a lively rhythm, blended the daily lives of villagers in the fields with the romantic entanglements of young men and women. Its candid expressions and folk tales of life-and-death devotion often transcended traditional ethical norms, sometimes even clashing with them. Perhaps this folk expression was merely a "theatricalized" emotional release, distant from everyday life. But this expression itself formed the distinctive regional cultural characteristics. The social and cultural essence of Jinzhong’s countryside, of course, cannot be fully explored in this small book. But I hope to capture the historical context, cultural essence, folk customs, and the basic features of the Ming and Qing commercial villages nurtured in the fields and farmlands of Jinzhong with the tone of historical prose and a realistic heart.