Source: Qinhuangdao Tourism Culture Release
At the beginning of the 20th century, Beidaihe was hailed as “the crown of the summer resort in East Asia”. At that time, there was an old saying: Wujialou Mansion, Duanjiaqiang Wall, Xiafeiguan Thatched Cottage, and the Siguniang (the fourth daughter) in Hedong Village. What is this about?
Wujialou Mansion
The flourishing Wus. Wujialou Mansion is located on the southern foot of Lianfengshan Mountain. In 1916, it was invested and built by Wu Dingchang, then president of the Bank of China. There is a basement under the entire building, and two floors on the ground, with granite wall, tight structure, German-Australian spires, spacious English-style windows, Italian-style arch vault doors, multi-arched promenades with large eaves building on the high basement, and an open two-story spire living room at the north end of the promenade. The columns and eaves are carved from a single block of granite.
The villa is gorgeous in shape and tight in structure. There is a straight path at the south gate leading to the sea. It was the most luxurious villa in Beidaihe at that time.
Wujialou Mansion
After the villa was completed, it had become a meeting place for the upper-level characters of Beidaihe at that time, with profound influence on the upper levels of Beidaihe and Beiyang Government, being hailed as the unique.
Duanjiaqiang Wall
Surrounding by green trees and covered with red tiles, Duanjiaqiang Wall refers to Duan Zhigui’s villa and the surrounding walls, which was invested and built by Duan Zhigui in the early 1920s. The villa consists a large and a small main building with European style. There is a cypress forest of dozens of mu in the courtyard, and an elegant western-style pavilion in the southwest corner of the main building.
Duan Zhigui’s Villa
The “Duanjiaqiang Wall” is made of raw granite and looks magnificent with the dark red tiles on the top, stretching about 300 meters.
Walls of the Duan Zhigui’s Villa
Xiafeiguan Thatched Cottage
Xiafeiguan is located in “Lotus Stone Park”, the first park in the history of Beidaihe, also known as Songtao Thatched Cottage, with wooden frame structure, thatched roof, simple and elegant shape, in which sixty or seventy tables can be placed at the same time. Located in the lush pines, its owner is Zhu Haibei, the youngest son of Zhu Qiqian, the former Beiyang government official and the chairman of Beidaihe Public Welfare Association. At that time, when the sun set in the west, Chinese and foreign ladies came here for dinner and dancing. Therefore, it is also called “Fairies’ Palace” and “Immortals’ Cave”.
Picture of Xiafeiguan exerted from Qinhuangdao History and Culture Tour
Siguniang in Hedongzhai Village
Hedongzhai Village is located at the southwest foot of Donglianfeng Mountain in Beidaihe. At that time, there was a beautiful girl in this village who was called Siguniang(the fourth daughter) in Hedongzhai Village because she was the fourth child in her family. She was famous for her beauty and social intercourse with the celebrities, and have been compiled into the last proverb story of Beidaihe.
Now you must have known what the old saying is all about. It is related to the old villas in Beidaihe. In the 24th year of Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (1898), Beidaihe was approved as a summer resort both for Chinese and foreigners. As the first and only tourist summer resort opened by the central government in China, Beidaihe attracted many celebrities home and abooad to live and build 719 villas in different styles, and more than 130 villas are still well preserved. Beidaihe is one of the four major summer villa areas in modern China.
Picture of Shen Junru’s Villa provided by the Official Website of Beidaihe District People’s Government
The old villas in Beidaihe are in different styles with distinctive features, forming a unique and beautiful seaside scenery in Beidaihe, and becoming a shining pearl inlaid on the crown of Qinhuangdao seaside. And I would like to introduce you some representative old villas in Beidaihe.
Picture of Qiao He’s Villa provided by the Official Website of Beidaihe District People’s Government
The oldest villa
The Donglinghui Church, built in 1898, is one of the oldest villa-style buildings in Beidaihe, almost at the same time as Qinhuangdao opened its port. It is a pure American style building with granite as the wall, and the color is natural, simple and elegant. The most distinctive feature is the gray-green slate tile on the roof, which is completely made of natural-colored slate. With a construction area of 250 square meters, it is divided into upper and lower floors. After more than 100 years, the appearance of the stone building has not changed much with a simple style.
Picture of Donglinghui Church provided by the Official Website of Beidaihe District People’s Government
The most complete villa in its original appearance
Built in 1900, Fu Zuoyi’s Villa is the best preserved one. This Victorian-style building has three typical corridors in Beidaihe architecture. Sitting in the corridor in the evening, you can enjoy the sea breeze. In addition to the red roofs, plain walls, and the green trees, there is a large lawn in front of it, and the independent fence creates an independent holiday space.
Fu Zuoyi’s Villa
The most classical villa in Chinese style
The He Xiangning’s Villa was built in 1942. The former owner was a Japanese. The villa faces south with a reasonable layout. It is a typical Tang Dynasty building with red pillars and eaves and blue tiles, full of symmetrical beauty. The whole villa was completely formed with wooden wedges, and no nail at all, with two slopes on both sides, wave-shaped rolling shed roofs, and floor-to-ceiling windows on the single porch. This villa is unique among many villas in Beidaihe and a model of Chinese classical brick and wood structure.
Picture of He Xiangning’s Villa provided by the Official Website of Beidaihe District People’s Government
The most typical villa with four-sided corridor
Built by Blache, an Austrian, and owned to Dr. Hatem, it has the most typical four-sided corridor. Corridor is a major feature of Beidaihe Villa, which is divided into one, two, three and four sides. People can get in touch with nature in the corridor. At present, the four-sided corridor like this is rare in existing villa buildings. In addition, there is a two-story square tower that connects with other parts. The combination of Chinese and Western styles is even more distinctive.
Picture of Hatem’s Villa provided by the Official Website of Beidaihe District People’s Government
The most unified villa group
Wufenglou Mansion is a collective name for five villas with unified yet slightly different styles. The five European-style buildings have corridors in the front, they are hundreds of meters away from the sea, the soughing of the wind in the pines can be heard, and the raring waves can be seen. Wufenglou Mansion is a small villa group with the unified style, which is rare among many villas in Beidaihe. The five villas are lined up with unique features.
Picture of Wufenglou Mansion provided by the Official Website of Beidaihe District People's Government
The villas of different styles witnessed the changes in history. They are unique not only because of their distinctive architectural style, but also because of their valuable historical value, which have deepened the cultural heritage of Qinhuangdao.
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