Mu Mansion, Ancient mansion complex in Lijiang, China

Mu Mansion (木府) stands beneath Lion Mountain in Lijiang's old town, entered through a gate with a grey tiled roof, a blue, green and white painted frieze and a black plaque with gold characters reading 木府. Its rebuilt central axis runs 369 metres through a screen wall, the Jinshui bridges, the Zhongyi stone archway, the Yimen gate, the council hall, the Wan卷 library, the protective hall, the Guangbi and Yuyin towers and the Sanqing hall, on a 46-mu site.

Mu Mansion was first built in 1382, the 15th year of the Hongwu Emperor, as the office and residence of the Mu family, the Ming-appointed tusi rulers of Lijiang. Under the Wanli Emperor the Zhongyi Arch, Yuyin Tower and Shouxing Tower were added. In 1647 Liu Wenxiu's fleeing troops plundered its valuables and imperial edicts; in 1860, during the Yunnan rebellion, Du Wenxiu's forces burned most of the buildings. The Guangxu-era descendants rebuilt only a small three-courtyard residence, and the Cultural Revolution destroyed the surviving Zhongyi stone arch. After the 1996 earthquake the local government raised about 58.6 million yuan, including a 33.6 million yuan World Bank loan, and the reconstruction was completed on 2 February 1999.

The gate plaque reads 木府 in gold characters, the name by which the Mu family's office was known. The Wanli-era additions included the Yuyin Lou, where imperial edicts were received and where music and banquets were held. The Wanjuan Lou held thousands of Dongba scriptures, a hundred volumes of the Tibetan canon, and poetry collections by the Mu tusi.

Wear comfortable shoes as you will walk through multiple levels and uneven surfaces throughout the complex. It helps to get a map or guide at the entrance to navigate the many interconnected rooms and courtyards.

The 1999 rebuilding was funded with about 58.6 million yuan, including a 33.6 million yuan World Bank loan, and the site also houses the Lijiang Old Town Museum. The main axis runs 369 metres through the complex, which covers 46 mu beneath Lion Mountain.