Yin Yu Tang House facts for kids
The Yin Yu Tang House (pronounced "Yin Yoo Tahng") is a special old Chinese house. It was built in the late 1700s in a village in Anhui province, China. What makes it so unique is that it was carefully taken apart, moved across the world, and rebuilt in Salem, Massachusetts, USA.
This house is the only example of a traditional Chinese family home from that time period found in North America. It helps us understand what an average family's house in China looked like hundreds of years ago. The name "Yin Yu Tang" means "Hall of Plentiful Shelter." It was built during the Qing dynasty, which was a long period of Chinese history from 1644 to 1911.
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Building a Traditional Chinese Home
A wealthy merchant named Huang had this beautiful house built in his home province of Anhui, China. It was a large house with sixteen bedrooms. The house was designed in a style common for the Huizhou region of southeastern China.
House Design and Materials
The Yin Yu Tang House has two stories and five main sections across its front. It was built using a traditional timber-frame construction. This means a strong wooden frame supported the whole building. The roof was made of tiles, and the outside walls were built from sandstone and brick.
The house is quite big, measuring about 47 feet by 52 feet. This measurement does not even include the kitchen areas! Besides the sixteen bedrooms, the house also has two areas for welcoming guests, a storage room, and a courtyard in the middle. Inside, you can see amazing, detailed wooden carvings on the window panels on the first floor.
A Journey Across the World
The Yin Yu Tang House was home to eight generations of the Huang family. It stood strong through many changes in China, both economic and political. By the mid-1980s, the house was empty.
Moving the House to America
With permission from the Huang family and Chinese authorities, the house was carefully taken apart. Every piece, including its contents, was packed up and shipped to the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) in Salem, Massachusetts. This was a huge project! The house was then put back together piece by piece at the museum.
The Yin Yu Tang House officially opened to visitors in June 2003. It is now a permanent exhibit at the PEM. Visitors can take self-guided audio tours to learn all about the house and the family who lived there.
A Story for Young Readers
A children's book called Piece by Piece tells a fun story about the Yin Yu Tang House. The book was written by Susan Tan and has illustrations by Justine Wong. It follows a young girl's adventure as she explores the museum and the Yin Yu Tang House. She is searching for a lost blanket. The Peabody Essex Museum and Six Foot Press published the book in 2019.
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