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Wang's Villa , a famous villa in the West Lake area, was formerly named the Wang Yutai Teahouse. Built in 1927, it belonged to Wang Tiyu, a tea dealer from Anhui Province. The villa, when finished, surpassed all its counterparts in the area with its unique style. At the time, Wang Yutai opened a teahouse on Huaihai Road, Shanghai. In the meantime, he set up a tea factory in Qiantang, Zhejiang Province. His business became prosperous and he soon found himself a millionaire. His villa thus quickly gained reputation among the rich and the distinguished who gathered in the villa to sing and dance. Surrounded on three sides by the West Lake on which flowers and trees were reflected, the villa was brimming with music and joy for a time.
It was not until 1958 that Wang's Villa ,together with Xizhao Mountain, part of Sujia Mountain, Xizhao Temple and Baiyun Nunnery, was rebuilt into No.2 Reception House for Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee, covering an area of 210,000 square kilometers. Since then, it began to accommodate cadres from Central Government. Former Chairman Mao Zedong lived here for 27 times, holding important diplomatic activities, reading and working. He later referred to it as his second home. The Reception House began its opering up in September 1979 and was renamed Zhejiang Xizi Guesthouse. Comrade Cheng Yun inscribed the new title for the hotel.
A large number of ancient spots can be found in Wang Zhuang like the Leifeng Tower, Xizhao Temple, Baiyun Nunnery, Matchmaker's temple and the Fishing Platform of Qian Long, one of the emperors in Qing Dynasty. Having stood up to ups and downs in the past 70 years which has granted it experience and vitality, Wang's Villa , the bright pearl in the West Lake, will surely shine more brilliantly than ever.
Celebrity
Wang's Villa owers its fame not only to the charming West Lake and magnificent Leifeng Pagoda around it, but also its hospitality to countless clelbrities. It has accommodated leaders of the party and central government, such as Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, Chen Yun, Jiang Zemin, Li Peng and Zhu Rongji, as well as writers like Ba Jin. They were attracted by the natural beauty and cultural heritage of the villa, and left behind precious memories to enrich the place. Honored guests from abroad, such as Kofi Annan, Roman Herzog and Anna C.Chennault, also stayed at this villa of typical oriental style. Wang's Villa composes a paean of splendid oriental culture with its natural and historic beauty.
Famous Garden
Wang's Villafeaturing elegance and quietness. The famous villa, otherwise known as the Purity Villa, was originally owned by Wang Zixin, a tea trader of Anhui origin. Built in 1927, Wang's Villa has attracted tourists from all over the world for its delicate pavilions, halls, chambers and towers, In the scenic spots like these, one returns to the arms of the nature, enjoying fresh and natural beauty. Zither RoomWang Zixin, the original host of Wang's Villa, was keen on the zither and excelled in calligraphy. Wang was in possession of precious zithers and built several rooms with ancient music scores posted on walls of them. He thus named those rooms Zither Room. In addition, Mrs.Wang was good at playing musical instruments.
Chrysanthemum GardenWang's Villa ,featuring delicate pavilions, halls, chambers, towers, ponds and rockeries, was regarded as the villa with the best novelty at that time. Exotic flowers and rare herbs blossomed and faded by turns all around the year while the best-known was Chrysanthemum, which was displayed to the public each fall. Tea HouseWang's Villa, built in 1927,was known for its delicate architecture among the villas around the West Lake then. At that time, Mr.Wang established a teashop on Huaihai Road in Shanghai and a tea factory in Hangzhou, by which he made a great fortune. There's a teahouse in the villa now, in which guests can have a taste of the tea and have a look at those tea sets of antique flavor on display.
Baiyun NunneryTemple to the God of MatchmakingSituated to the west of Leifeng Pagoda, Baiyun Nunnery is close to Wang's Villa at the foot of Nanping Hill. It was named as Yi Garden by one of the emperors of the Qing Dynasty and destroyed in Mid-1800s.In 1896, the Nunnery was rebuilt by Ding Songsheng, a famous collector in Hangzhou and a statue of the God of Matchmaking was added to it. According to A New Chronology of the West Lake Sightseeing, the nunnery was characterized by green trees and beautiful ponds, with flowers in the backyard. During the War of Resistance against Japan, it was damaged by the Japanese Army because it was taken as a shelter of patriotic partisans.
Outstanding Rooms
Awarded the honor of one of the Ten Best Hotels in 1995 and the Best International Hotel in 1997. Xizi Hotel, a bright pearl in the West Lake,Will surely shine more brilliantly than ever.
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