About the Shihuyuan Museum

Shihuyuan (or garden of ten court tablets), also known as "Ding's Garden", is located in the middle section of Hujia Paifang Street, Weicheng District, Weifang City, Shandong Province. It was rated as a national key cultural relic protection site by the State Council in 1988, and enjoys the reputation of "a pearl in eastern Shandong".

Shihuyuan was originally the residence of Hu Bangzuo, a senior official of the Ministry of Punishments during the Period of Emperor Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty, and later was the residence of Chen Zhaoluan, magistrate of Zhangde Prefecture in the Period of Emperor Shunzhi, and Guo Xiongfei, commissar of Zhili Province in the Period of Emperor Daoguang of the Qing Dynasty. It was then purchased by Ding Shanbao at a high price, the richest merchant of Wei County, and converted to a private garden in the Eleventh Year of Emperor Guangxu Period (1885). The garden boasts ingenious overall arrangement and unique craftsmanship, gathering more than 20 scenes like rockery, pond, zigzagging bridge, cloister, pavilion and study room. Visitors can enjoy the fun of shift of scenes with movement of steps.

Shihuyuan, along with the residential buildings on the east, and the Marquis Guan Yu's Temple and Minister Kong Rong's Hall to the northwest, forms the Shihuyuan ancient architecture complex. This is the national key cultural relic protection complex designated by the State Council, covering a land area of 10,400 square meters. On the east are the two residences of Ding's family, one of the four distinguished families in Wei County in the Ming and Qing dynasties. These buildings with a typical architectural style of quadrangle dwellings in northern China were built in the Ming Dynasty, the early, middle and late Qing Dynasty successively. Calligraphy plaques and couplets can be found everywhere, showcasing the charm of traditional culture. Located to the northwest of Shihuyuan, the Marquis Guan Yu's Temple was firstly built in the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD), and rebuilt in the Second Year of Tianli Reign of the Yuan Dynasty (1329) and the Fifteenth Year of Qianlong Reign of the Qing Dynasty (1639) respectively, which is so far the oldest architectural complex extant in the city of Weifang.

After repairing and restoration, the Shihuyuan ancient architecture complex combines classical garden, temple, ancestral hall and residential buildings, and comprehensively presents the distinctive folk customs, literary arts, religious beliefs and architectural styles of Weifang region during the Ming and Qing dynasties. It is invaluable treasure of the rich historical and cultural heritage of the ancient city.