Zhu Family Garden of Jianshui (Yunnan)

"Large and magnificent buildings like the private Garden of the Zhu family are now rarely seen in China. "


And I am one of the specially blessed people who could have a chance to visit this place. We voted 7/7 to see this place for a day. It was one special day in my life and mind you this special Qing Dynasty Garden  is better than any film studio or modern garden in Asia!

Going through the different sections make me feel that I was actually participating in a Zhang Yi Mou or Ang Lee film which was being made about 19th century China!! So many parts of the "living museum" were fantastically preserved and/or refurbished. You can also google it and perhaps choose to stay in this "hotel" for two or three nights.

The Private Garden of the Zhu Family lies in Jianshui Street, Jianshui county, has a total area of 20,000 square meters and a floor space of 5,000 square meters, This grand complex is a typical local residence with distinctive features .As it was built by Zhu Chaoying and his brother in the late Qing Dynasty. One of the moon doors    Divided into dwelling houses and ancestral halls, the private garden has layout of "vertically, three courtyard houses and horizontally, four” and "four small yards attached to one big yard" .Altogether there are 42 yards . With the well arranged yard and well furnished room and halls, the structure of the architecture can be described as "streamlined " .On the left side and near the street are 13 suspending houses and the right side are the ancestral halls that face a pool, a sate and pavilions .Poems and pictures are carved on the stone banisters around the pool.   In the center of the garden there is a flower hall the two sides of which are called "xiulou”, a place where ladies lived. The place in front of the flower hall is naturally divided into two gardens .Rockeries and rice fields in the east garden and bamboo groves and flowers in the west garden reveal a typical style of a southern private garden. Thus is enjoys the fame "the Daguan Darden at a Border Town".

This was where the Lord and the Lady of Manor would sit to welcome guests!!

The bedroom /  living quarters belonging to a daughter before she was married off.

Another reception area (you can see scenes of this in many Qing Dynasty era drama/movie)

Most of my friends felt that it was a visit worth all our money and the tour guide was very articulate and well versed with the history of this special mansion. If only we had more time we could have seen more and taken more photos. Besides we were a little hungry towards the end of the tour.
Jianshui also has western and halal cuisine so tourists need not worry about their food choices.
Perhaps one day I would go back there if the  eternity well in the garden can grant me that wish.