QIAO FAMILY HOME

Qiao Guifa was a poor merchant in the time of Emperor Qian Long, the Qing. He decided to try his luck in the north of the country in Baotou, a city on the road to Mongolia. The flourishing trade, and the Qiao clan, will have its influence for nearly 200 years, until the decline of its activities after the Communist power has arrived. The splendour of the clan today remains only this impressive home, the concept comparable to that of our French castles, whose oldest buildings date back to 1756.

The house is surrounded by a 9 m high wall of grey bricks, with watch towers and guard platforms, as a real fortified city. The door of the residence, surmounted by two bronze panels reminiscent of the family motto («virtue and harmony leads to prosperity»), opens on a 80 m long passage, giving access to the 6 main courses. These are then divided into several secondary courses, forming a set of 20 courses and 313 pieces, divided according to the characteristics of the character «shou», longevity. Each courtyard has its own architecture and style, which makes the house Qiao an architectural jewel of North China under the Qing. This is the site chosen by Zhang Yimou to turn his famous film Epouses and Concubines.

The buildings of Qiao House are now transformed into a museum of popular customs.