Yuying Mountain House

The Yuying Mountain House in Fanyu, or 17 kilometers from downtown Guangzhou, is one of the four famous Qing-dynasty gardens in Guangdong. In 1864, or the third year of the Tongzhi Reign, the metropolitan graduate Wit Yantian hired a team of famous artisans and build this house by absorbing the architectural art of Suzhou and Hangzhou gardens.

The complex consists of four main buildings. An arched bridge covered with a roofed corridor divides the garden in two. The western part is centered on a quasi-square lotus flower pond, while a pentagonal waterside chamber sits in the center of the eastern part.

Famous buildings on the premises include the Shenliu Hall, the Poolside Hall, and the Peacock Pavilion. Pavilions, kiosks, ponds and halls are distributed in this garden with the aid of a winding corridor, an arched bridge, flowery paths, artificial hills, enclosing walls, and verdant trees, to bring about a garden of seemingly unfathomable depth.