Chinese Houses [2004] by Ronald G Knapp is an excellent book to dip into after a tour of Shanxi.
In his book, which has won many awards, Knapp has picked two famous grand old houses of Shanxi—the Wang Family Compound and the Fan Family Courtyard in Pingyao.
The Wang Family Compound is a siheyuan, on a grand scale.
There are 4 basic principles for a siheyuan/quadrangular courtyard house: bilateral symmetry, axiality, hierarchy, and enclosure. [Knapp, p. 8 and 195].
Wang is Wong in Cantonese, Heng in Teochew, Ong in Hokkien, and Vong in Vietnamese.
My maternal grandfather is a Wong-Wong Seng.
The design of the Wang Family Compound was deliberate to represent the Chinese character for Wang.
This was done by having a single north-south lane—when entering the Hongmen Bao/Red Gate Fortress—crossed by three east-west lanes, Chinese characters to mimic the Chinese character for Wang.
This grande dame of Shanxi is worth a visit, as it was restored in 1996 to its full glory.
Lwh @ Wang Family Compound.
16 March 2025.
