Middle school Chinese students explore historic Yin Yu Tang house at Peabody Essex Museum

Last week, our Middle School Chinese students visited the Chinese Peabody Essex Museum, home to the remarkable Yin Yu Tang and Asian Export Art exhibitions. 

Yin Yu Tang, meaning “Hall of Plentiful Shelter,” is a magnificent 16-bedroom home built during the Qing dynasty by a prosperous merchant family. After the last descendants of its owners left the region, preservation architects carefully dismantled the structure, shipped it to the United States, and meticulously rebuilt it at the museum in Salem, Massachusetts.

Beyond being an impressive feat of logistics and architecture, the house provides our students with a glimpse into the daily lives of Chinese families during the Qing Dynasty, enriching their understanding of this important period through direct observation and immersion of Chinese culture and history.