Shi Jia Courtyard in Tianjin is actually the biggest surviving courtyard in China.

In 1994, Zhang Yimou returned to a courtyard set for Huo Zhe (To Live). The film may have lost out to Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction for the Cannes Film Festival's main prize, but it was still awarded the Grand Prix de Jury, the first Chinese film to pick up this aw. Many scenes were shot in the Shi Jia Courtyard.

The courtyard is located in the Town of Yang Liu Qing near Tianjin city. Yang Liu Qing is famous for the making and printing of Chinese folk-style calendars. The Shi Jia Courtyard now hosts the Yang Liu Qing Museum of Tianjin.

The Shi family was one of the eight most famous and powerful families in Tianjin in the late Qing Dynasty. The Shi family first became rich through trading grain and cotton, using the canal transportation that was popular at that time.  
They made enough money to buy land and build their own houses. Then they opened shops, factories and private banks to multiply their wealth. The family lived in Yang Liu Qing for over 200 years. During the reign of emperor Jia Qing, the Shi family owned thousands of hectares of land and 500 houses.

Travel tips:

Admission fee: 20 yuan

Opening hours: 08:10 to 16:00
Bus routes: Bus 153, 158, 175, 672