Daguanyuan-The Grand View Garden

Maybe you are familiar with Dream of the Red Chamber , one of the four ancient Chinese classic masterpieces; if so you will have been impressed by the description of the luxuriant grandeur of the Grand View Garden. This is the garden in which Grandma Liu, a character in the story, becomes dizzy and staggers on seeing it for the first time. Should you not know the story, it won't matter, as you'll be sure to yearn to see the garden for yourself after reading through this introduction.

Using the description in the story as a guide, a Grand View Garden was created between 1984 and 1989 in Beijing. Initially it was used as the film location for the TV series Dream of Red Mansion. It integrates artificial features and natural scenery into a harmonious whole. This garden has become an important tourist attraction in Beijing.

Part of the story tells how the eldest daughter of an aristocratic Jia family, Yuanchun, became an imperial concubine and went to live in the imperial palace. The Emperor commanded the creation of Grand View Garden in the Jia Residence as a place for her to live when she visited her home. The fictional garden and its actual recreation is a unique classical garden that is representative of Qing Dynasty architecture.

Covering an area of 13 hectares (32.12 acres) with more than 40 scenic spots set within it, the garden has been skillfully designed. It has various classical buildings, such as palaces, pavilions, cloisters, courtyards, water features and rockeries as well as a nunnery. The landscape has delicate hills, peculiar stones, fragrant flowers and exuberant trees where you can hear the sweet singing of birds and the occasional sound of cranes and deer; it is truly an earthly fairyland. Perhaps the most attractive parts are the courtyards which replicate the residences of the main members of the Jia family. These range from the magnificent to the small, the elegant to the simple, and the green to the white, each revealing the personality of the various characters who would have occupied them and enabling you to feel at first hand the ambiance in which the love and political affairs of this medieval family had their being.

The Red Mansion Exhibition, is the main display of the Beijing Red Mansion Culture and Art Museum where it is possible to study in detail the rich and intensive Dream of Red Mansion. In addition, activities held in the garden include performances of 'The Imperial Concubine Yuan Visiting Home', 'A Grand View Garden Mid-autumn Night', and 'A Grand View Garden Temple Fair'. All have won the acclaim of many tourists interested in the glittering culture of ancient China.

The Grand View Garden is not only perfection to the eyes, but also provides a feast for your appetite. The Grand View Garden Restaurant is an elegant setting for dinner where you can enjoy a delicious meal in an environment that exudes the glories of a past era.

Grand View Garden is a real treasury of China's culture and its garden heritage, where you can explore various man-made features alongside natural beauty and a rich store of materials for the study of Dream of Red Mansion. It offers a warm welcome to admirers of the great tradition of Chinese gardens from home and abroad, who can be certain to be delighted by their visit.