YuYin Shan Fang

On the third day of Christmas, we went to visit a 'show house'.

It has a very artistic name, people called it YuYin Shan Fang. This place is located in Nancun town, Panyu, GuangZhou City. It was built in 1871 of Tongzhi Emperor in Qing Dynasty. It shares the reputation of 4 most famous garden.

My dad told me our ancestors were from Panyu. My grandfather moved to Malaya when he was young, and there born my dad & his siblings and me & my siblings. I guess my grandfather will never expect that I went back to China region one day, and gave birth to my offspring over there. Wonder what would he think about it after all the bloods and sweats he'd paid to try to set up a root in Malaysia? Anyway, I've never seen my grandfather before. I hope he would be proud of me if he knows I've sort of migrating to his origin many many years later.

The house is very big, very old. When I stepped into its front door, I felt like I have been taking a time machine and travel back to the ancient time.

It's fun to use your imagination when you visit a old house like this...I did. I want to make-believe this is the house I've just inherited from my great grandfather lately, ok.

This 2 little boys are the young master in the house. They like to play the whole day and non-productive one, we called them yi-sai-jou.

In the front yard, I will open a small cafe to sell tou-fu-hua or ginger-mix with-milk. I sell it 5 bucks per bowl. Cheap, isn't it? Well, as long as everyone is happy, profit is not a matter. (hell, it's not)

And this man will be the manager cum waiter cum cleaner for the cafe.

In front of the cafe, there are some star fruit trees. Look how big and juicy they are. You buy 1 and get 1 free, fair? If you want to ask the manager to squeeze it into juice to quench your thirst, also no problem. The value-added service is FOC.

Normally, I just leave the cafe business to my manager. And I like day-dreaming in my 2 private gardens in the center of the house. I'll show you...

This is my favourite garden, Wenchang Yuen. I've just got it refurnished in year 2006. So, it really looks cool and trendy. Anyway, I don't like to stay in the gloomy house all day. Most of the time, I will be day dreaming or drawing or reading or fishing or sleeping in the garden.





We are slowly walking towards the ponds. Look at those trees, I like that very much. It makes me feel very peaceful and sleepy.

Let's walk nearer to the pond and take a closer look. It's very quiet and peaceful, isn't it? If that 2 yi-sai-jou dare to play Avril Lavigne's song "Hey Hey You You..." over my territory, I'll throw them into this pond.

Didn't see this young master for almost 2 weeks by now because the walkies talkie we used to communicate with one another still haven't been fixed yet. I felt very happy to bump into him somewhere here. But he was in a kind of hurry, so I need to use force a bit to keep him longer here.






From time to time, my manager will come here to look for me. I think he likes to see me a lot.





Since my manager was here, I asked him to take the young master for a hike to the hill. The hill top is my another secret place.

We called it Gua-bang-Mountain. This is an ideal place for reading and studying. One can climb the mountain by stairs, or pass the mountain through the cave beneath it. The top of the cave is in fornix shape, to present a splendid view.





The views look even better from the top of the hill.




My 5-star bedroom. In summer time, it's cool inside. In winter time, it's warm inside.






Ok, the time is 12.30pm, time to go for lunch now. That's my dining place. When lunch is served, my helper will set the table properly at this spacious balcony area.




My great grandfather gave this place a nice name, isn't it?






Sometimes, I will invite friends to come over for lunch or dinner. That's the VIP dining room, with live bands and dancers entertain us when we are enjoying good foods.

This time, I've invited both of the yi-sai-jou to join me for a lunch. We had great lunch together on that day.

I asked my manager to keep eyes on the young master. This is because I haven't bought an insurance for him, and sometimes, I worried if he will fell down to the pond there.

After lunch time, sometimes I will go to this Wenchang pavilion to listen to music or for meditation. My architec told me that the pavilion is in the shape of octagonal with a height of 15.4 meters. The special space design makes it look four floors while in fact, three inside. On the wall and the roof, fine pictures of people, flowers, birds, mountains and rivers are painted around. Ah whatever...

My art gallery as backdrop.

Oh yes, sometimes I will do some artworks in my workshop too. Those are some of the Chinese dolls that I've learnt to make. If anyone like it, I will give one to him or her as free gift.

That's one of their favourite activities they spent a great deal of time doing it...

At first, I've just bought 10 fishes inside it. Some months later, the number of fishes have outgrowth to don't know how many times. I don't recall I have ever bought the gold color and the white color fish, maybe they are mutated fishes?

Everywhere around the pond is the feeding zone. So you can imagine how much time they have spent in feeding everyday.

Some said : "I want I want". Some said : "More, please". Some said : "Go to hell..."

I really don't know why they like feeding gold fish so much? It's their nature?




When the young masters are feeding the fishes, my manager has to sit aside to watch them. Part of this job.

Besides Wenchang Yuen, this old house has another garden too, an older one. This is the classic entrance.




I asked my gardener to make some Christmas decorations on the plants, and look what he'd done. I guess he probably doesn't know what Christmas tree is all about?




Everytime I see this chess board, I just feel very defeated. This is because I never ever win my manager though I bang my head till soggy to carefully plan for the steps. Bugger.

The center of this garden is an exquisite waterside pavilion-sitting room, also well-known as Octagonal Pavilion. This is the place for the master to enjoy poems and wines. The pavilion is octagonal shape surrounded by water, with of course, fishes down there. Frankly speaking, the place is so boring, that I normally throw foods to the water down there when I had to sit in there.

Frankly speaking, I've get bored of the gold fish too. I'm thinking to put more varieties of fish down there some time in the future. The young master suggest to feed a shark there. Emm...that would be interesting.

My manager said we should have painted this bridge another color, cause he think this garden looks so boring.

My rest room. It's too huge for me.

Wo-piao-lu Room, is a rest room I'd prepared for friends. Like it?

My manager kept nagging, he said this place is so boring. I think if it isn't because of somebody, he probably had left this boring place a long time ago. Aahem..

Looking at them,I know what's the thing this place is lacking of, a play ground.

Sometimes, my manager will set up a table and we will have our tea break here.

"So, can I go now?"

"Not until you make a good pose, ok?"

"Okdokey"

"Hey, not that kind of sissy pose..."