Zhoujia Courtyard was built in Jingtai period of Ming Daizong (1450— 1456) and Guangxu 30 years (1904). The descendants of Zhou Dunyi, a Neo-Confucianism scholar in the Song Dynasty, moved here in the middle of the Ming Dynasty to live and multiply, lasting for 26 generations for nearly 600 years, hence the name Zhou Family Courtyard. Zhou Jia quadrangles typically embody the idea of "Feng Shui" in ancient architecture: quadrangles are surrounded by mountains on three sides and have broad prospects. The ancient buildings of Zhou Jia Siheyuan have a long span, with architectural styles of Ming, Qing and Republic of China. The courtyard is distributed in the shape of a big dipper, with a huge scale. It consists of six courtyards, covering an area of 100 mu with a building area of 45,000 square meters. Its layout is orderly and the buildings are layered. On the whole, the six hospitals are divided and combined, integrated, independent and harmonious, which can be compared with the Qiao family courtyard.
It is said that it was built after Zhou Shou, the son of famous cultural scholar Zhou Dunyi. At the end of Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of Ming Dynasty, he moved from Jiangxi to Yongzhou, built his old house first, then returned to his hometown by Zhou Xisheng and built Shangshufu, which was rebuilt by the 15th generation Sun Zhou Chongfu.