Meilu Villa, Historical villa in Mount Lushan, China.
Meilu Villa is a two-story English veranda-style villa at 180 Hexi Road in the eastern valley of Guling, Lushan, Jiangxi. Its building area is nearly 1,000 square metres, and its courtyard covers almost 5,000 square metres, backed by Dayue Mountain and facing the Changchong River. The ground floor held Soong Mei-ling's bedroom, while the upper floor held Chiang Kai-shek's office, reception room and bedroom, with Chen Bulei's office and bedroom diagonally opposite.
Built in 1903 by British nobleman Lord See O. Reynolds on plots 12 and 13 of Zhihong Road, the villa was sold that same year to American missionaries the Barleys. Chiang Kai-shek and Soong Mei-ling stayed in August 1933, and Soong bought it in 1934. In August 1948 Chiang carved the characters "Meilu" on a boulder in the courtyard, giving the villa its name.
The villa's name comes from the two characters "Meilu" that Chiang Kai-shek had carved in August 1948 on a large rock in the courtyard. The ground floor held Soong Mei-ling's bedroom, while the upper floor held Chiang's office, reception room and bedroom, with Chen Bulei's office and bedroom set diagonally opposite Chiang's.
The drive from the main visitor center takes about 40 minutes along winding mountain roads to reach the villa in the Lushan Resort area. Visitors should prepare for high altitude conditions and variable weather typical of the mountain environment.
In August 1948 Chiang Kai-shek had the two characters "Meilu" carved into a large boulder in the courtyard, and the villa has been known by that name ever since. The name combines the character for beauty, referring to Soong Mei-ling, with the character for cottage.
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