It is composed of numerous siheyuan-style courtyards built into the side of a hill, overlooked by defensive towers and enclosed by high crenellated walls that divide it into two sections.

[7] The Chen family in Shanxi began erecting buildings on Phoenix Hill overlooking the Fanxi River[8] around the 1440s under China's Ming dynasty.

[11] His "outer city" (外城, Wàichéng) lies on flat ground against the entrance to the upper section of the estate, facing south toward the warehouses and shops lining the Street of Ancient Culture.

[6] Supposedly, the grand nature of the finished complex drew charges of disloyalty and imperial pretensions from Chen's political opponents, but he claimed to have established it to please his mother, who wished to see Beijing, but was too frail to complete the journey.

[15] It received a 30m RMB restoration starting in 1998,[15] and the China National Tourism Administration named the House of the Huangcheng Chancellor a AAAAA tourist attraction in 2011.

[23] It was completed in a span of seven months [21] and supposedly proved its worth shortly after construction, when locals easily weathered a raid that devastated the neighboring village of Guoyu.

[24] The House of the Academician (t 大學士第, s 大学士第, Dàxuéshì Dì) or Chancellor[g] (相府院, Xiāngfǔyuàn; 1644–1703)[26] is a complete household with gardens, a hall, a study, bedrooms, and servant quarters.

[27] The Studying Rooms[h] (t 南書院, s 南书院, Nánshūyuàn; 1651) are a courtyard and adjacent classrooms used for centuries by tutors to educate the younger members of the family.

[6] The Tower of Imperial Handwriting (t 禦書樓, s 御书楼, Yùshūlóu; 1714) was built to store plaques and other written documents given to the family by the Kangxi Emperor.

[32] Other areas of the estate include the Douzhuju Residence[33] (斗筑居, Dòuzhùjū); the Wenchang Tower (t 文昌閣, s 文昌阁, Wénchānggé) with its Confucian shrine;[34] the Chunqiu Tower of General Guan[j] (t 春秋閣, s 春秋阁, Chūnqiūgé) with its shrine to the war god Guan Yu;[35] the Xishanyuan Courtyard (西山院, Xīshānyuàn) with its area for Taoist rituals;[36] the "Cave of Fighters" garrison[37] (藏兵洞, Zàngbīngdòng), whose rooms are built into the side of the hill;[23] the Qilin Yard (麒麟院, Qílínyuàn) first built for Chen Tingjing's grandfather Chen Jingji, with its stone decorations of the "Chinese unicorn" or qilin;[38][k] the Wanghe Pavilion[40] (望河亭, Wànghétíng) and Yard of Young Ladies[41][l] (小姐院, Xiǎojieyuàn) in the women's quarters on the lowest level;[18] the Ziyunqian Graveyard (紫芸阡, Zǐyúnqiān) with memorials to Chen Tingjing by his family and the Kangxi Emperor;[42] the southern-style West Garden[30][m] (t 西花園, s 西花园, Xīhuāyuán), consisting of Clam Pool and surrounding rockeries imitating Shandong's Mount Tai;[7] the Housekeepers' Yard (管家院, Guǎnjiāyuàn) with the small,[18] lower-ranking servants' quarters;[43] and a Street of Ancient Culture (古文化街, Gǔwénhuā Jiē) in the estate's old trading and warehousing area.