Zhengding Rongguo Mansion

Zhengding Rongguo Mansion

Zhengding Rongguo Mansion is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

Covering an area of over 40,000 square meters, Rongguo Mansion is divided into central, eastern, and western sections, each consisting of five-courtyard quadrangle residences, totaling 215 rooms of various sizes and 102 covered walkways. The mansion features carved beams and painted rafters, small bridges over flowing water, and in summer and autumn, thriving crabapple and ginkgo trees whose fragrance wafts for miles. The rooms nestled among the trees exude an antique charm. Starting from the western section, visitors can pass through the floral-pendant gate, corridor hall, flower hall, Lady Jia’s main room, and Sister Feng’s residence in sequence; the central section includes the mansion’s main gate, outer ceremonial gate, south-facing hall, inner ceremonial gate, Rongxi Hall, rear enclosing rooms; the eastern section consists of Madam Wang’s courtyard and Jia She’s courtyard.

The main attractions of Rongguo Mansion include the Rongguo Mansion scenic area, Ningrong Street scenic area, and the Cao Xueqin Memorial Hall. It covers an area of 22,000 square meters with a built-up area of 4,700 square meters. It was designed and constructed based on the "Rongguo Mansion" depicted in the classic Chinese novel *Dream of the Red Chamber*.

Rongguo Mansion has been recognized as a national AAAA-level tourist attraction, an advanced infrastructure project, a designated tourism unit of Hebei Province, and a key cultural relic protection site at the Zhengding County level.

TV dramas such as *Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain*, *New Justice Bao*, *The Legend of Zheng Banqiao*, and the movie *The Way of the Warrior* were filmed at Rongguo Mansion.

The Rongguo Mansion scenic area consists of a multi-courtyard quadrangle complex with a main block and two side wings in a hip-and-gable roof style. It is divided into central, eastern, and western sections. The central section was completed in 1986 and includes, in sequence, the Rong Mansion’s main gate, outer ceremonial gate, south-facing hall, inner ceremonial hall, Rongxi Hall, rear enclosing rooms, and Jia Zheng’s official courtyard. It features imperial-style colored paintings, while the eastern and western sections are inner residential courtyards adorned with Suzhou-style colored paintings. The western section includes the west corner gate, floral-pendant gate, marble screen corridor, Lady Jia’s flower hall, Lady Jia’s main room, Rongqing Hall, and Sister Feng’s courtyard. The eastern section consists of Madam Wang’s courtyard and Jia She’s courtyard.

The floral-pendant gate has an imperial-style roof ridge, carved beams and painted rafters, and two prominent inverted hanging flowers, hence the name “floral-pendant gate.” It serves as the inner courtyard gate of wealthy households, functioning decoratively and to conceal the interior. The gate is flanked by green walls with flower-patterned windows. It was intricately carved with various patterns. To build the gate, technicians visited Beijing several times for reference. When Lin Daiyu entered the Jia residence, she disembarked here and was supported by maids into the house. The central door acts as a screen and is usually kept closed; visitors use the side entrances. Only when noblewomen visit are all gates opened in sequence. Entering through here, six courtyards are connected in a continuous layout, with each main room linked to the side rooms by winding painted corridors. The courtyards feature cross-shaped pathways lined with flowering plants such as lilac, magnolia, and crabapple on both sides.

Lady Jia’s flower hall is where she enjoyed flowers, admired the moon, listened to storytelling, watched opera performances, hosted banquets, and celebrated her grandchildren’s birthdays. During opera performances, the windows would be opened, and a stage would be set up to the south, where the Twelve Beauties of Jinling would perform, while Lady Jia and others sipped tea, chatted, and enjoyed the show.

Sister Feng’s courtyard is where Wang Xifeng lived. Its layout is essentially the same as Rongxi Hall—a small courtyard with a main room and two side wings connected by winding corridors. The three-room main room served as the reception area for Jia Lian and Xifeng. The west side room was their bedroom, while the east side room belonged to their maid Pinger. The west wing room was the quarters of Qiu Tong, Jia Lian’s concubine, and the east wing room housed another concubine, You Erjie.

The Rongguo Mansion scenic area has two small gardens: the East Garden and the West Garden. The East Garden is located east of Jia Zheng’s study. In addition to various flowers, the garden also features two bamboo groves.

The Rongguo Mansion scenic area’s rear enclosing rooms host the *Dream of the Red Chamber Poetry, Painting, and Stone Carving Exhibition*, showcasing calligraphy works by over 200 artists including Qi Gong, Zhang Aiping, Ouyang Zhongshi, and others. Some pieces are inscriptions by national leaders such as Huang Hua, Liao Hansheng, Wang Shoudao, and Wang Renzhong.

The characters in Rongguo Mansion are divided into four generations. The first generation includes Jia Daishan, the second generation comprises Jia She, Jia Zheng, and Jia Min, the third generation mainly consists of Jia Baoyu, Jia Lian, Jia Zhu, Yuan Chun, Ying Chun, Tan Chun, Jia Huan, and Lin Daiyu, while the fourth generation includes Qiaojie and Jia Lan.

Ningrong Street is located to the right of Rongguo Mansion. It is an authentically styled Qing Dynasty street that also functions as a bustling commercial area. The street has 51 shops, each adorned with traditional signs and banners, recreating the market scene of the Ming and Qing dynasties. The street primarily sells traditional antiques, calligraphy, paintings, and handicrafts, exuding a strong cultural atmosphere.

Rongguo Mansion is situated near the Great Buddha Temple in Zhengding. The two sites form an integrated attraction. It is a large-scale Qing-style imitation ancient architectural complex built for the filming of the TV series *Dream of the Red Chamber*.

Transportation

Take Bus No. 1 and get off directly at the street entrance.

Hebei, Shijiazhuang

Rongguo Mansion and Ningrong Street