It turns out that in 19 14, Li Zhiyong returned from studying in Britain and married a western beauty. Influenced by western culture, the architectural style of Li Family Courtyard changed the traditional architectural model and adopted the European Gothic architectural style. The whole courtyard combines Chinese and western styles and has a unique style. The combination of Chinese and western architecture is also one of the reasons why the Japanese army can't break it.
Secondly, it is because the building quality of the Li Family Courtyard is excellent. There are 20 courtyards and nearly 300 houses in the Li Family Courtyard, with exquisite brick carvings, wood carvings and stone carvings, which are no less than the luxury houses of any princes and nobles in terms of scale and momentum. It can be called a unique mansion in the south of Shanxi. Because the construction of the Li family courtyard is the most prosperous period of the Li family, the selection of building materials is extremely "exquisite" and the construction quality is also commendable. Every rafter in the house has been rotated and weighed, with the same length, thickness and weight, and the density of rafters is much higher than that of ordinary buildings.
Unique organs are also the key to protect it from the Japanese. Tongdetang, founded in the 10th year of the Republic of China (192 1), has six anti-opening organs. The first mechanism is a thick chain, and the second mechanism is a hidden hole the thickness of pencil lead. Only by inserting a paper clip-sized key into the hole and turning it left and right can a plum blossom on the lower right turn to pop up a gourd-shaped iron sheet, and then use another key to open the door from the iron sheet hole.
When locking, as long as the gourd-shaped iron piece is turned back to its original position, no one can see that there is another mechanism here. 1938, the Japanese army invaded the Li family compound. It took them more than an hour to find the organs of plum blossom and gourd, and finally they just stabbed a hole the size of a fist in the door with a bayonet.
Because the Li family has done good deeds for generations and won the hearts of local people, during the Anti-Japanese War, the Li family also actively donated money and materials. Therefore, after the founding of New China, the Li Family Courtyard was relatively intact and became a multifunctional cultural tourist attraction integrating eating, living, traveling, entertainment, shopping and fitness. If there is an opportunity, you might as well come here for a walk.