The He Family Compound is situated on the east side of South Street in Qi County, Jinzhong City, about 63 kilometres southwest of downtown Jinzhong. It is a well-preserved original quadrangle courtyard built in the Ming and Qing dynasties.
The arched gate with layered decorative carvings looks solemn and magnificent. A middle hall divides the compound into two sections, and an ornamental balustrade further splits the inner yard into two smaller courtyards. The northern two-storey building serves as the main hall, while the western section is known as the Tubular Tower Courtyard.
An opera stage stands in the front courtyard, which could be used as living quarters on ordinary days. Further inside lies another quadrangle featuring five inner rooms and three outer rooms, together with five tubular tower houses. Constructed of brick and timber, these buildings have single-slope roofs and brick-arched doors and windows, representing a typical residential style in central Jinzhong.
This compound was once the site of the famous Danfeng Pavilion. Besides collecting books, printing blocks, calligraphy and paintings, it also served as a gathering place for anti-Qing patriots and scholars including Fu Shan and Yan Ruoju.
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