House of the Huangcheng Chancellor
The House of the Huangcheng Chancellor, also known by its Chinese name, Huangcheng Xiangfu, is a 10-hectare (25-acre) walled estate on Phoenix Hill (Fenghuangshan) comprising Huangcheng, a village occupying a hollow above the Changhe Valley between Yangcheng and Jincheng in southeastern Shanxi, China. It is composed of numerous siheyuan-style courtyards built into the side of a hill, overlooked by defensive towers and enclosed by high crenellated walls that divide it into two sections. The fortifications were built in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties.
House of the Huangcheng Chancellor | |||||||||
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The Tower of Rivers and Mountains, overlooking the interior of the House of the Huangcheng Chancellor | |||||||||
Chinese | 皇城相府 | ||||||||
Literal meaning | Imperial City-style Residence of the Chancellor | ||||||||
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Huangcheng Village | |||||||||
Chinese | 皇城村 | ||||||||
Literal meaning | Imperial City Village | ||||||||
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Turtle City | |||||||||
Traditional Chinese | 龜城 | ||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 龟城 | ||||||||
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It has been called the "greatest cultural residence in North China". China's National Tourism Administration gave it a AAAAA rating in 2011.