Yang's courtyard in Xinghua city – administered by Taizhou city in East China's Jiangsu province – is an ancient commercial complex with architectural styles from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and the Republic of China era (1911-49).
It is a complex of houses, shops and warehouses that was run by the Yang family, the largest business and financial conglomerate that operated in the central Jiangsu region during the Ming and Qing dynasties.
In the Wanli era (1573-1620) of the Ming Dynasty, merchants Yang Yanxiu and Yang Dasi moved to Xinghua. With the gradual accumulation of their business interests, the assets of the father and son mounted, leading to the establishment and expansion of Yang's courtyard.
Spanning a floor space of 4,517 square meters, Yang's courtyard boasts major buildings such as the courtyard gatehouse, back building and south warehouse.
It was declared a cultural relic protection unit by the Jiangsu Provincial People's Government in 2011.
Yang's courtyard is widely seen as being an empirical example for studying the development history of Xinghua's commerce, finance and architecture, with high historical and scientific value.
Visitors can view the exquisite building style of Yang's courtyard. [Photo/WeChat account:tztour]