What Su Nuan was most interested in was the quadrangle courtyard of the royal palace of the late Qing Dynasty, which covered an area of 40,000 square meters, so the first place they went to see was this quadrangle courtyard located in Shichahai.
The car stopped in front of the vermilion gate of the courtyard. The gate was a vermilion lacquered gate with three bays. There were golden door nails with seven horizontal and nine vertical patterns on it. There was a pair of stone lions in front of the gate. The original color of the gate had faded with the passage of time. Several people pushed open the gate and entered the courtyard.
The house faces south and consists of two parts: the mansion and the garden. The mansion covers an area of about 26,000 square meters and the garden covers an area of 14,000 square meters.
As the few people walked into the courtyard, the staff of the Real Estate Bureau introduced as they walked that the mansion has three roads and five courtyards, and the architecture is exquisite and magnificent. Many trees, flowers and plants are planted in each courtyard. When entering from the gate, there are two buildings in front and behind the middle road. They were used for celebrations and sacrifices by the royal palace in ancient times. They are made of wood and have green glazed tiles on the roof. The four buildings on the east and west sides, front and back are living rooms. At the back is a two-story back room that separates the garden and the mansion.
Entering the garden through the back house, a white marble Western-style gate stands on the central axis, serving as the main entrance. The entire garden is framed by a "mountain"-shaped rockery. The east, south, and west sides are formed by piled earth and rocks, while the central path is skillfully constructed with ravines and gullies. The summit platform, the highest point in the garden, offers a commanding view of the entire landscape. The garden boasts more than a dozen scenic spots, divided into three routes: east, center, and west.
When entering the garden, the first thing you notice is the Taihu stone which is more than 5 meters high, which symbolizes keeping oneself safe. Next to the Taihu stone is an octagonal pavilion where the owner can entertain friends and enjoy the scenery. To the east of the octagonal pavilion are several square pieces of land where you can grow vegetables, fruits and melons. Walking along the Taihu stone, there is a small pond in the middle with many koi fish in it. The pond is surrounded by elm trees, which gather wealth. In late spring, the elm seeds of the elm trees fall into the pond, which symbolizes gathering wealth.
Ahead of the Wealth Pool, there's a two-story building with three east and west side rooms. Surrounded by wintersweet and lilac trees, it's a place for entertaining guests and enjoying the garden's scenery. West of the Pond, there's a lake, approximately 200 square meters in size. In its center, stands a pavilion, featuring a single wooden column and a hip roof. The hip roof is a double-slope roof, with no ridge at the intersection of the two slopes, forming a curved surface. The front slope and ridge of the roof arc downward toward the back slope, lending it a feminine beauty.
The lake is surrounded by many flowers, plants and trees. Next spring, when the weather is warm and the flowers are blooming, it will definitely be very pleasant to sit in the pavilion in the middle of the lake, drink tea and enjoy the scenery.
Walking through the entire courtyard, one can see that the layout of the houses is very reasonable, and the architectural style shows the gap between the buildings of princes and nobles and those of ordinary people.
The entire courtyard has been preserved very well. Although many of the buildings are somewhat dilapidated and damaged after being ravaged by wind and rain, the basic building structures are still very intact.
Su Nuan raised the question in her heart, "Comrade, logically speaking, this is the property of the capitalists. The architectural style is that of the previous feudal dynasty. It is rare that it was not completely destroyed during the movement."
"Comrade Su, what you said is that it is basically difficult to find a building of such a large area and such complete preservation in the whole city of Beijing. The state did not reclaim it at the time and intended to use it as a government office. Later, for some reason, it remained vacant until Wang Fu was rehabilitated and the house was returned to him."
Su Nuan: "I see. I wonder if you know a skilled repairman who can restore this old courtyard house? I want to find someone to repair the house as soon as possible."
"Yes, there are many skilled Siheyuan builders living in Nanluoguxiang. I know a few of them and can introduce them to work here. However, the wood used in many buildings here is quite expensive, so the prices will be quite high. Also, many gardens and buildings have Qing Dynasty architectural styles, and even experienced craftsmen don't know how to restore them. We need professionals," said a staff member.
Gu Chengfeng: "I know professors in the History Department of Peking University. I can ask them for help when the time comes."
Su Nuan nodded happily. "That's great! This courtyard is truly a historical treasure. I really hope to see it restored soon."
Gu Chengfeng touched Su Nuan's head lovingly and said, "Yes, you will see her next time you come to Beijing."
The two of them were so in love with each other that they didn't care about the life or death of the other two.
After coming out of the courtyard, Su Nuan followed the staff of the Real Estate Bureau to look at several other courtyard houses, then treated them to a meal, and the three of them returned to the compound.
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