The Huangcheng Chancellor's Residence is a walled compound 40 km northeast of Jincheng city, built between 1632 and 1703 for Chen Tingjing, a high Qing official who served as tutor and confidant to the Kangxi Emperor. The complex spreads across several hectares of courtyards, towers, and residential halls arranged on a hillside above a stream, with a fortified outer wall that makes the whole ensemble look more like a small city than a private home.
The architecture is exceptionally well-preserved, and the interiors are furnished and decorated to a standard unusual for this kind of historic compound in China. The main ceremonial courtyard, the residential wings arranged by seniority, the separate study halls, and the fortified tower at the highest point of the complex tell a coherent story about how a Qing official family organised its domestic and public life. Visitor numbers are much lower than at the Wang Family Compound further north, which makes the experience considerably more pleasant. Allow two to three hours for a thorough visit.