Eight Beautiful Places for Chinese Blockbusting movies
Updated: 2007-05-30 09:56
Raise the Red Lantern--Qiao Family Grand Courtyard
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In 1990, Qiao Family Grand Courtyard gained its fame at home and abroad, thanks to the movie, "Raise the Red Lantern," by director Zhang Yimou.
The drama production team left behind several hundred red lanterns after the production was finished. Since then, these lanterns have been the most important decoration both in the Qiao Family Grand Courtyard and other Jin Shang courtyards.
The Qiao Family Courtyard lies in the beautiful and richly endowed Jinzhong basin of Shanxi.
The courtyard was built during the reign of Emperor Qianlong (1711-99) in the Qing Dynasty, and occupied 8,724.8 square meters of land, consisting of six large yards and 20 small yards with 313 houses. It was repaired and rebuilt many times during the reigns of emperors Tongzhi and Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty and the beginning years of the Republic of China (1911-1949). It was an old Chinese residential courtyard that thrived for more than two centuries. When you look down at the overall yard above ground, it looks just like"喜喜"（double happiness in Chinese）.
The courtyard's three sides face the street, while the courtyard itself is completely surrounded by a 10-meter-high sealed water-milled brick wall. Yards and houses are linked with other yards and houses while the sidewalks and row upon row of roof s link up the battlements.
