The Grand View Garden (Dàguanyuán) is a large garden in the classic novel Dream of the Red Chamber. It is the setting of much of the story.
Built in chapters 16 and 17 of the novel, it was the site of Jia Yuanchun's first visit home as an Imperial Concubine. At that time, music and lights decorated the place so it was fit for Imperial patronage. After Yuanchun leaves, the Garden is made at her own request the home of her brother, half-sister, sister-in-law, and cousins. Being very beautiful and peaceful, it is a perfect home for Baoyu and the girls. Granny Liu also pays a visit to Grandview Garden in chapters 40 and 41. She is very impressed at the vegetation, water, layout, and life in the Garden. As a gift, the Dowager commissions Xichun to make a painting of the Garden for Granny Liu to take back home. It is here that the nun Miaoyu is met by many, and where she is also kidnapped. Eventually, the young girls drift away from the Garden. Yingchun is married off to her death. Tanchun is also married, but to the frontier. Shi Xiangyun marries and is widowed, while Baochai marries Baoyu and is abandoned. Lin Daiyu dies of grief and Li Wan moves into the inner apartments of the Ronnguo Mansion.
When the Jia family estates are confiscated, the Garden is ransacked. Being farther from the inner apartments, it is also destroyed by the Imperial Guards.
An imitation landscape garden based on the novel was built at Xuanwu District, in southeast Beijing in 1989, using the same name. The famous television series Dream of the Red Chamber was filmed in this garden.
Covering an area of 13 hectares (32.12 acres) with more than 40 scenic spots set within it, the garden has been skillfully designed. The most attractive parts are the courtyards which replicate the residences of the main members of the Jia family. These Chinese traditional buildings reveal the personality of various characters who would have occupied them and enabling you to feel firsthand the ambiance in which the love and political affairs of this medieval family had in their being.
The most interesting building in the park is the Enjoyment Red Hall where the principal character in the novel Jia Baoyu lived. Another building is Bamboo Lodge, a small and simple courtyard decorated in light-green, with slim bamboos grown in the courtyard, housed the weak and unlucky Lin Daiyu, heroine of the novel.
The Cache
It is a 35mm film container. Although this part of the park isn't so busy, please be aware of watching muggles!
When replacing the cache you need to be very careful, as it could drop into a hole!
The Cache does not contain a pen. Please bring one with you.