The Chi Family Compound was the residence built by Chi Xingzhou, a wealthy merchant from Zhaotong, in the first year of the Republic of China (1912).
Chi Xingzhou, styled Congwu, was born in the fifth year of the Tongzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1866). Intelligent and eager to learn, he became an apprentice at the business firm of his close relative Li Yaoting at the age of twenty. Later, he went to Japan to study commerce, and after returning to China, he served as the chief manager of Li Yaoting’s "Tianshunxiang" draft bank in Chongqing. Subsequently, he founded the Chi’s "Xingji" business firm and "Songmao Match Factory". Although engaged in business, Chi Xingzhou cared deeply about his hometown: he aided the poor and provided disaster relief, promoted industry and advocated education, dedicated himself to public welfare and was generous in charity, so his reputation for righteousness spread throughout his hometown.
The compound faces west with its back to the east, covering an area of 3,040 square meters with a construction area of 5,276 square meters. Inside the compound, 11 buildings including a mansion, an embroidery tower, a banquet hall, an ancestral hall, and a granary are arranged according to the terrain, with complete functions, hence the name "Chi Family Compound". The architectural style of each building in the compound blends Chinese and Western elements, making it a representative example of residential architecture in Zhaotong during the Republic of China period. In 2009, it was included in the register of immovable cultural relics during the third national cultural relics survey. In 2023, the Zhaotong Municipal People's Government raised funds for its renovation, and in November of the same year, it was designated as a municipal-level cultural heritage protection unit by Zhaotong City.
