Keyuan Garden (No. 9)

Keyuan Garden (No. 9)
Keyuan Garden was built in 1861. With the length of 318 feet (97 meters) from north to south and the width of 85 feet (26 meters) from west to east, it covers an area of 28,704 square feet (2,667 square meters). It is the private garden of Wen Yu, a scholar in the Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1911 AD). Keyuan Garden is divided into two yards, the forecourt and the backyard, connected by a gallery in the east. In the west side, there is a small hall corresponding to the gallery. There is a main hall standing in the center of both forecourt and backyard.

The constructions in the Keyuan Garden all used grey imbrex to construct the roof. The brick walls are without plaster, they are of the natural color of the brick, which creates a kind of simple and unadorned style. The beams are decorated with Suzhou-style patterns. The layout of this garden follows the central axis. There are various rockeries, pools and plants in the garden. The whole garden is representative of Beijing private gardens in late Qing Dynasty.