Hongyin Mountain Villa is the private garden of Xu Shiyuan, a literati in Mudu in the early Qing Dynasty. Whenever Emperor Qianlong toured Mudu in his southern tours, he would disembark here first and enter the garden for sightseeing. Therefore, the local people are accustomed to calling Hongyin Mountain Villa the folk palace of Qianlong. Ministers such as Ji Xiaolan, Heshen, and Liu Yong also stayed here several times, leaving many wonderful stories. Hongyin Mountain Villa is jointly formed by Xiuyeyuan and Xiaoyinyuan, two gardens of the Ming Dynasty. Its ‘beauty of mountains, rivers, wind and moon, and the splendor of ponds, pavilions and flowers and trees’ are far superior to other gardens. In the late Qing Dynasty, part of Xiaoyinyuan became the former residence of Shen Shou, the generation’s ‘queen of embroidery’. In the exhibition hall of Hongyin Mountain Villa, there are four series of treasures on display: First, the Imperial Edict Museum of the Qing Dynasty. It displays the original twenty imperial edicts of ten generations of emperors in the Qing Dynasty. Second, the Museum of Imperial Examination System. It displays detailed information on imperial examinations, including test questions and papers for scholars and juren candidates, as well as marked papers. There are also palace examination papers for jinshi and zhuangyuan candidates. There are also silk cheat sheets and miniature ‘Four Books and Five Classics’ used by candidates when cheating in imperial examinations. Third, the Museum of Palace Supplies. It displays hundreds of items of dragon robes of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, as well as palace, official and folk supplies. Fourth, the Museum of Plaque of the Qing Dynasty. It displays nearly a hundred calligraphy plaques and exquisitely carved imperial edict plaques by jinshi and manors in the Qing Dynasty.
The opening hours are from 08:30 to 17:00 all year round.
Preferential policies: Children: Children under 6 years old (including 6 years old) or under 1.4 meters in height (including 1.4 meters) are exempt from tickets with valid identification documents. Free of charge.
Elderly: Elderly people over 70 years old (including 70 years old) are exempt from tickets with valid identification documents. Free of charge.
