Grand View Garden

 

Basic Facts of Grand View Garden

Chinese Name: 大观园 Pronunciation: Dàguān Yuán

Recommended Time for Visit: 2-3 Hours

Occupied Area: 130,000 square meters

Address: No. 12, Nancaiyuan West Street, Xicheng District, Beijing, China

 

Admission Ticket Fee

Tourists	Price
Adults (Between 18-60 years old)	40 yuan
Minors (Between 6 to 19 years old)	20 yuan

   

• Ticket Free of Charge Policy

1. Free for children shorter than 1.2(including) meters or younger than 6(including) years old.

2. Free for seniors aged 60 or above (valid certificates required).

 

Opening Hours

	Peak Season (April 1st - October 31st)	Low Season (November 1st - March 31st)
Opening Hours	7:30 - 17:30	7:30 - 16:30

 

Brief Introduction of Grand View Garden

If you are fascinated by Chinese culture and know well about Dream of the Red Mansions (also known as Story of the Stone), one of the “Four Great Novels” of Chinese literature, you cannot miss Grand View Garden. In the garden you will exclaim over the beautiful scenes and impressive buildings as described in the novel. If you just know little about the novel, you should also come to the garden to experience the charm of the Chinese classical garden and culture.

Located in Xicheng District of Beijing, Grand View Garden is a highly distinctive Chinese classical garden. It was originally built in 1984 to provide the set for shooting Dream of the Red Mansions, a very famous Chinese television series adapted from the classic novel of the same name written during the reign(1736-1796) of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1636-1912).
 

With Chinese classical building techniques and the means of landscape architecture, the garden boasts the features of both the splendid imperial gardens in Northern China and the tranquil private gardens in Southern China.

Now more than forty scenic spots with outstanding characteristics are standing in the garden, such as buildings, halls, rockeries, and bridges. Meanwhile, exhibition halls with themes related to Dream of the Red Mansions are also available in Grand View Garden.
 

Moreover, every year, during the holiday of the Mid-Autumn Festival (a Chinese traditional festival for celebrating the family reunion, taking place on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese lunar calendar) activities and performances related to the festival are held in the garden.
 

In all, as a Class 3A Tourist Spot in China, the garden is an integrated attraction for sightseeing and cultural recreations.

 

History of Grand View Garden

The history of the garden can date back to as early as the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) when some government offices were set up in the site of the garden.
 

In the Qing Dynasty, it served as the imperial vegetable garden, and in 1984 the site was chosen as the set for shooting the TV series Dream of the Red Mansions.
 

In 1986, Grand View Garden was officially open to the public.

 

Main Scenic Spots in Grand View Garden

The Pathway to Mysteries

Located in the south of Grand View Garden, it is a winding trail through the rockery. Following Chinese traditional garden architectural strategies, the landscape of Grand View Garden is designed to be hidden behind the rockery so that visitors cannot see it until they walk through the rockery along the path, representing the architectural feature of Chinese classical gardens.
 

Xiaoxiang House

Located in the south of Grand View Garden, the house models the place where Lin Daiyu (another leading character in the novel) lived when she moved into the garden. The plants in the courtyard are mainly bamboos.
 

Moreover, patterns of bamboo are also painted on the walls and windows, not only creating a tranquil and elegant atmosphere but also symbolizing the personality of Daiyu, an innocent, graceful, beautiful, and sentimental young lady.
 

The House of Green Delights

The house models the residence of Jia Baoyu, one of the leading characters in Dream of the Red Mansions, and is located in the southwest of the garden. A horizontal inscribed board with four Chinese characters meaning “Crimson Joys and Green Delights” is hung above the door of the main room, chiming with the Chinese crab apple trees and the banana trees planted in the courtyard.

 

Story of Grand View Garden

The garden imitates the place of the same name in Dream of the Red Mansions, and is closely related to the story either in reality or in the novel.
 

Composed by Cao Xueqin, the novel portrays the rise and decline of an eminent family in feudal society, which is also believed to mirror the tragic life of the author as well as the Qing Dynasty at large.
 

Moreover, the novel is of ingenious design. It is said that the names of the characters were deliberately created to imply the personality as well as the fate of each person.
 

Meanwhile, the fates of crucial characters, including the twelve beautiful young ladies, known as “Twelve Beauties of Jinling”, are believed to be foreshadowed. Just as it is described in the novel, Grand View Garden witnessed the tragic story.
 

Now the garden is thought to be the best place to experience Chinese traditional culture and the charm of the great masterpiece.

 

You Can Travel in This Order

Enter from the South Gate Pathway to Mysteries → Drenched Blossoms Pavilion → The House of Green Delights → Green Bower Hermitage → Concave Pavilion → Auspicious Shade Hall → the House of Reunion → Grand View Pavilion →The Fragrance Gallery → Allspice Court → Red Fragrance Farm → Amaryllis Eyot → The Painted Chamber → Snowy Rushes Retreat Rush → The Lotus Pavilion →Spring in Winter Room → Sweet-Rice Village → Autumn Studio → The Naiad’s House → Exit from the South Gate

 

Transportation

By Bus

Take bus 59, 62, 90, 122, 458, or 474 and get off at Grand View Garden Station (Daguanyuan Station).

Take bus 56 or 423 and get off at Grand View Garden West Gate Station (Daguanyuan Ximen Station).
 

By Taxi

Chinese: 请带我去大观园。English: Please take me to Grand View Garden.

Chinese: 请带我去大观园南门。English: Please take me to the South Gate of Grand View Garden.

If you go to Grand View Garden from the center of Beijing (Grand Hyatt Beijing), it takes about 30 minutes (about 25 yuan).

If you go to Grand View Garden from Beijing Capital International Airport, it takes about 1 hour (about 140 yuan).

If you go to Grand View Garden from Beijing Daxing International Airport, it takes about 1 hour (about 160 yuan).

If you go to Grand View Garden from Beijing West Railway Station, it takes about 15 minutes (about 20 yuan).

If you go to Grand View Garden from Beijing South Railway Station, it takes about 15 minutes (about 20 yuan).