A Study of the Architectural Culture of the Zhujia Courtyard in Shan County, Heze, Shandong, From the Perspective of Cultural Heritage Conservation in the Yellow River Basin

As a representative surviving example of residences associated with officials and merchants in the southwestern Shandong region of the lower Yellow River Basin, spanning the Ming and Qing Dynasties to the modern period, the Zhujia Courtyard in Shan County functions as a built medium through which commercial capital and clan culture were closely intertwined. Drawing on field investigation and a review of the literature, this study examines its architectural and cultural characteristics across five dimensions: an overview of the courtyard, spatial layout, structural system, decorative arts, and cultural meanings. The analysis points to four interrelated cores, including the spatial embodiment of Confucian ethics, the status aspirations of canal-based merchant groups, adaptive strategies shaped by Yellow River conditions, and the symbolic articulation of folk beliefs. The Zhujia Courtyard demonstrates the technical sophistication and regional character of traditional architecture in southwestern Shandong and provides evidence of northern China’s social structure and cultural traits during the Ming-Qing period. As a typical case, it contributes to research on regional architectural culture in the Yellow River Basin and offers a reference for heritage conservation and adaptive reuse of traditional architecture.