Xu Ye’s Study

Nestled on Green Mound by Mata Lake north of Huagou Village, the study faces Iceberg Mountain and backs onto vast wetlands, embodying the poetic conception: In deep waters fish find perfect bliss; amid graceful mountains gulls soar free. It forms an independent courtyard covering 144 square meters and was reconstructed in 1990.

Xu Ye, originally named Xu Yuanshan and courtesy name Dongchi, was a renowned literatus spanning the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. Refusing to serve the Qing court out of unyielding integrity, he lived in seclusion beside Mata Lake and named his dwelling Xu Ye’s Study. Simply furnished, the room permeates with lingering fragrance of poems and the elegant aura of scrolls and books, exuding an antique, refined charm that vividly recreates the serene atmosphere of the original study centuries ago.