The Grand Courtyard of Wu Family in Lufeng County, Chuxiong

Why is the Grand Courtyard of Wu Family So Special

The Wu Family was the first large salt merchant in Heijing Ancient Town in the Qing Dynasty. In that year, it was the richest man in Heijing. The Grand Courtyard of Wu Family is a typical Ming and Qing architecture that has been preserved to now. The Grand Courtyard of Wu Family was built in the 16th year of Daoguang in Qing Dynasty. It was expended in the 7th year of Xianfeng in Qing Dynasty and was built along the mountain. It is a “王(Wang)-shape”, with a unique layout. It consists of four patios with 99 houses and 108 doors. It, with a building area of 10,000 square meters, is well-connected and is one of the rare ancient residential buildings in Yunnan. Standing on the third floor of the Grand Courtyard of Wu Family, you can overlook the entire view of Heijing Ancient Town.

Where is the Grand Courtyard of Wu Family

It is located at Heijing Ancient Town, Lufeng County, Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture.

How to Get There

  • In Chuxiong Passenger Station, there are buses to Heijiang Town.
  • It is very convenient to Heijing Station by train from Kunming Railway Station.
  • After arriving in Lufeng County, car rental or self-driving is the recommended way to get to Heijing Ancient Town.

Introduction of the Grand Courtyard of Wu Family

Compound of Wu Family in Lufeng County, Chuxiong

The Wu Family Courtyard was the richest man in Heijing Town during the Republic of China. When he moved from Nanjing, Mr. Wu was the largest salt merchant in the local area. 

At present, all rooms in the Grand Courtyard of Wu Family have been converted into hotel for accommodation, and the front yard has been converted into a tea room with a quiet environment. It is a great thing in life to drink tea and play chess here with once pavilions, carved beams. Time is like a filter, filtering out the dust-laden memory, and the Grand Courtyard of Wu Family is like this. In January 2012, the Grand Courtyard of Wu Family was announced as a key cultural relics protection unit in Yunnan Province.

Best Time to Go

The Heijing Ancient Town is suitable for tourism all year round. The area belongs to the subtropical monsoon climate, with warm spring and heavy drought, no summer heat, cool autumn, no cold in winter, small annual temperature difference, large daily temperature difference, and obvious dry and wet seasons. The annual rainy season is from May to October, and the annual average temperature is 15-21 °C.

Compound of Wu Family in Lufeng County, Chuxiong

Nearby Attractions

Feilaisi Temple
Feilaisi Temple is located at the hillside. Because of the steep mountain, looking from the bottom of the mountain, the whole temple is like a big bird entwined in the mountain. It seems to be flying and it also seems to have just landed from the sky. Therefore, Feilaisi Temple got its name. Looking down from the temple, the Longchuanjiang River(龙川江) passes through the deep canyon, and the town’s buildings are dotted on both sides of the river.

Heijing Confucius Temple
The Heijing Confucian Temple is located in the Longchuanjiang River Gorge(龙川江峡谷), Lufeng County, Chuxiong Prefecture. The Heijing Confucius Temple was built in the 45th year of Ming Wanli (1617). It was repeatedly destroyed by mudslides in the Qing Dynasty and was repeatedly rebuilt. The Confucius Temple is large in scale. There were 13 scholars (进士), which could show the prosperity of Heijing culture education.