Adding a Jin Merchant Young Mistress in Taiyuan Ancient County Town

In mid-October, I wavered between Pingyao and Taiyuan. Since the train schedule between Beijing and Taiyuan was more convenient, I chose Taiyuan, and of course, I had to arrange for the Jin Merchant Young Mistress look. After searching, I found some favorite client photos and quickly contacted the photographer. The makeup and styling were also directly recommended by the photographer, which was very convenient.

【Makeup & Styling】There are quite a few shoots of Qing and Han dynasty women in Shanxi courtyards. I always feel that since I’m in Shanxi, I should experience the Young Mistress style, especially with the little bangs. The makeup shop is outside the East Gate of the Ancient County Town. This outfit is quite popular in photos. After looking around, among the embroidered styles, this one is indeed slimming and friendly for plus sizes around 140 pounds. Objectively, the makeup and styling were average, with some waiting beyond the agreed time. The makeup artist was quick, and the accessories were moderately exquisite. But from a travel photography perspective, it met expectations. The price was reasonable at 200 RMB per person.

【Photography】I chose the photographer because I liked the style of the client photos. Communication was very efficient throughout, the pose guidance was clear, and the shooting concept was well thought out. The attitude toward retouching was surprisingly serious; they first edited a few photos to confirm the level of body and skin retouching before proceeding with the final edits. This kind of professionalism in travel photography deserves praise, and the retouching speed was also fast.
P1-6 are the photographer’s retouched photos (color tone unchanged, personal editing habits include slight adjustments to the subject); P7-18 are original photos with my own free color grading. There were quite a few beautiful originals, and some of the retouched ones were the more difficult shots for me.

【Location】Because I liked the roof ridge in P2, the shoot location was set at the Manjianghong Film Base in Taiyuan Ancient County Town, the filming site of Zhang Yimou’s "Manjianghong." The courtyard is great for shooting, though the indoor furnishings are somewhat sparse. If you want to shoot a wealthy family, you’d need a house with more exquisite interior decor. But if you like courtyard outdoor scenes, this venue is quite good.

📝Shooting in a Jin Merchant courtyard is also very interesting. I promised not to go for the smoky, decadent style and focused on portraying a good life, but unintentionally, there was still a bit of subtle emo.

Post by ZoeyRodriguez_26 | Oct 23, 2025