Grand View Garden (Daguanyuan)

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 Grand View Garden, Daguanyuan in Chinese. 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 Grand View Garden in Beijing for yourself after reading through this introduction.

Using the description in the story as a guide, the 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. It has become an important tourist attraction in the city.

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 it 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 one that is representative of Qing Dynasty architecture.

Map of Grand View Garden  Pictures

Covering an area of 32 acres (13 hectares) with more than 40 scenic spots set within it, it 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.
 

Residence for  Imperial Concubine Yuan

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 it include performances like 'The Imperial Concubine Yuan Visiting Her Parents' Home', 'A Grand View Garden Mid-autumn Night', and 'A Temple Fair'. All have won the acclaim of many tourists interested in the glittering culture of ancient China.

It 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.

It is a real treasury of China's culture and its 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.
 

Since 1996, it has been held annually from the 1st to the 5th day of the first month on Chinese lunar calendar to celebrate the Chinese New Year. During the temple fair, visitors can watch the scene play adapted from the book Dream of the Red Chamber. Intangible cultural heritage including face masks, sugar figurine, shadow play and papercut will be exhibited. Generally, the entrance fee is CNY 40 per person.
See more Temple Fairs in Beijing
  Take bus 56 and get off at the west gate of Daguanyuan (Grand View Garden) Station.
 Take bus 474 and get off at Daguanyuan Bus Station, then walk eastward for 100 meters (109 yards) to the south gate.
Beijing Bus / Subway Search

Admission Fee	CNY 40 for adults Free tickets for children under 6 years old and the old over 60; Half-price tickets for minors aged 7-18
Opening Hours	Apr. 1 - Oct. 20: 7:30 - 18:00 (stop entering at 17:30) Otc. 21 - Mar. 31: 7:30 - 17:00 (stop entering at 16:30)

 Further Reading:
Shanghai Grand View Garden is also a landscape garden in the pseudo-classic architecture style, which describes the stories and courtyards in Chinese fiction Dream of the Red Chamber.