The Qiao courtyard in Pingyao city,Shanxi province.[Photo by Zhang Wei/China Daily]

When Qiao Guifa was young, it was predicted that he would become rich and successful, so the penniless orphan left home to try his luck and find good fortune. After 20 years of roaming and hard work he earned a lot of money, returned home and married a widow. People were puzzled by the strange choice of wife for the well-heeled bachelor. Many families would have been pleased to have their young, beautiful daughters wed Qiao but he preferred the widow because she was the girl who had predicted his good fortune and inspired him on his journey to wealth so long before.

The prosperity of Qiao's family lasted for 200 years, with his descendants trading in China and abroad and opening a bank. Only revolution and the subsequent changes in China caused their businesses to decline. The family members had to leave their home and find other shelter. Many of them settled in foreign countries but the original family courtyard was perfectly preserved and turned into a museum. Its pillars, roofs and screens richly adorned with stone and wood carvings are a feast for one’s eyes and its simple but well-planned interiors tell the family stories. It is no wonder that Zhang Yimou chose the compound to film his movie Raise the Red Lantern. Qiao’s courtyard is an excellent example of the former lifestyles of Chinese merchants.