Hancheng, a small city of northwest China's Shannxi province, was dubbed as "Mini Beijing" during the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), partly becauseof the prosperous economy during that period and the numerous courtyard dwellings in Hancheng, just like those in Beijing. The courtyards dwellings in Dang Jia Cun (The Dangs Village) are considered the most representative of those residential courtyards in Hancheng.

Upon your arrival in Dang Jia Cun, you will probably be greeted by a Mr. Dang or Ms. Jia, as sixty percent of the inhabitants of this ancient village are surnamed Dang, and about 30 percent, Jia. Dang Jia Cun, home to 1,400 residents living in 320 households, lies in the northeast Hancheng City, about 9 kilometers (km) away from the downtown, 1.5 km away from the State Highway to its west and 3.5 km from the Yellow River to the east.

Though over 670 years have passed since the village was built, things don't seem to have changed very much, with most of the courtyards dating back to the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing dynasties. Besides all these courtyards, there are also another 12 ancient buildings of the same period, including ancestral halls, temples, ancient stages, pavilions , and tablets. Therefore it is no wonder Japanese architectural experts refer to the village as "the living fossils of the traditional residence of ancient oriental people".

Speaking of the residential buildings on Loess Plateau, people will probably think of the cave dwellings prevailing there. So why are there courtyard dwellings in Dang Jia Cun? As related by the local people, during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368 AD)，the first Dang, Dang Shuxuan, moved here with his family and named the place "Dang Jia Cun" after their surname. During the Ming Dynasty , a family with the surname of Jia also migrated here. The two families did business together and made a fortune. With the money, they started large-scale construction in the village and many courtyards were built during that time, with more construction following in the ensuing years.

Author: Jessie

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