About 20 kilometers to the northwest of Shanxi's Linyi county, there is a major historical and cultural site protected at the national level, the Linjin County Yamen, which is China's only county yamen in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) style. A yamen is an office and residence of local bureaucrats or mandarins in ancient China.

A three-year renovation project is approaching completion. The renovation of the Linjin Yamen was launched in the latter half of 2010 with an investment of more than 13 million yuan ($2.12 million). The renovation project was mainly targeted on the yamen's main body and its surrounding environment, according to Qiao Zheng'an, the person responsible for the project's overall planning and the former head of Linyi County Museum.

"It's a miracle that the Linjin County Yamen could keep its old looks after surviving fires, floods and earthquakes," said Qiao. The well-preserved Yuan Dynasty style is unique even in China. From the Yuan Dynasty to the Republic of China (1912－1949), more than 200 officials have worked there. It has been recognized as historical materials for the research of the feudal official system, Qiao explained.

Linjin County Yamen, also named xieshu, was first established in the Yuan Dynasty. It was later reconstructed in the Ming and Qing dynasties and the Republic of China.

Edited by Michael Thai