In the East Valley not far from the center of Guling Street, there is a long valley called Wanting. The villas built near the valley are magnificent, and "Meilu" is the best among them.
When it comes to Lushan Villa, I have to say a few words, because the name "Guling" comes from this.
After the failure of the Opium War, the Qing government signed the "Sino-British Treaty of Tianjin" with Britain in 1858, adding Jiujiang as a treaty port. In 1861, Jiujiang was officially opened as a port.
From then on, Western businessmen and missionaries poured into Jiujiang. However, the summer heat in Jiujiang was unbearable, but Lushan was refreshing and quiet. Therefore, these foreigners began to build villas in Lushan. The first one was built by French missionaries. It was built in the Lotus Cave at the foot of Mount Lu in 1870.
In 1886, the Englishman Li Deli climbed Mount Lushan and saw the vast valley at the foot of the mountain. He wanted to acquire this valley and build a paradise on the valley.
A few months later, Li Deli finally got the land, which covers an area of ??4,500 acres. The annual rent is twelve thousand grains of silver and the lease term is 999 years.
Li Deli named the Changgu Chong land "Guling", which is the transliteration of "cooling". He established the "Guling Company" to sell it to the world, and it was sold out in a few years.
In 1896, these Westerners began to build stone pavements and create British-style natural gardens in Guling. In more than 30 years, 560 villas were built here, and several people from 16 countries Thousands of people live here.
"Meilu" was built by a British Lord in 1903 and transferred to Ms. Barrie in 1922. She had a deep personal relationship with Soong Meiling. In 1934, Ms. Barrie gave the villa as a birthday gift Soong Meiling. From then on, the villa was exclusive to the "First Lady" of that year.
This villa is backed by Dayue Mountain and faces Changchong River in front. It is surrounded by mountains and rivers, which is in line with the Feng Shui pattern that Chinese people like. Chiang Kai-shek even regarded this place as a Feng Shui treasure land and liked it very much. The environment is also called "Mei Lu", which means "no house in the world is as beautiful as this one", which also fits the word "beautiful" in Song Meiling's name. The two characters "Mei Lu" on the lying stone in the courtyard were inscribed by Chiang Kai-shek himself.
Chiang Kai-shek was particularly fond of Lushan. After he officially became the president of the Republic of China, Lushan became the second political center after Nanjing - the "Xia Capital", and Meilu became the "Xia Capital". " core.
The exterior walls of Meilu are made of huge stones, and the doors and windows are floor-to-ceiling glass. The doors, windows, stairs and verandah platforms are all decorated with green wooden lattice patterns. The overall appearance is a combination of Chinese and Western, simple and elegant, and harmonious with the courtyard. The flowers, plants and trees blend together and are very harmonious.
Today’s Meilu still retains the appearance of when the Jiang couple lived there. The bedrooms, living rooms, study rooms, and even the bathrooms all look the same as ordinary homes today, but this was in the 1930s. Age, not to mention other things, just based on this refrigerator, I am afraid that ordinary people in our country had never heard of the surname Bai at that time, not to mention that this was the earliest refrigerator in the United States.
It can be said that "Meilu" is the epitome of a garden city. The flowers and lawns, ancient bamboo trees, forest paths, mountain pavilions, stone tables and benches, pools and streams are all revealing. Warm, quiet, beautiful and elegant, it's no wonder that the Jiang couple loves this precious place so much.
Mao Zedong also had a special liking for "Beautiful Lu". Although there was a "Lulin No. 1" villa, Mao Zedong chose to live here during the three Lushan Conferences in 1959, 1961 and 1970.
In the ever-changing situation, the leaders of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party have lived in the same villa one after another, which is unique in other places.
Meilu is not only a unique cultural landscape of Lushan Mountain, but also carries real historical records and has historical memories that can never be erased.