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Meixi Royal Stone Archways is located at Mei Xi Village in Qianshan town, Zhuhai City. It occupies 126,000 square meters. Its main sceneries are the first Chinese consulate in Hawaii at the end of Qing dynasty, the oversea Chinese millionaire Mr. Cheng Fang's hometown, Cheng family's history, Chinese stone archways exhibition, Zhuhai famous people's waxwork, art gallery and articles, and so on. It put the famous people, folk-custom and cultural relic protection together. It is an ideal place for relaxation and very popular for sightseeing.
Now, there are three stone archways left, which were built in 1886 and 1891. They were built by Guangxu Emperor in honor of Cheng Fang and his families. The stone archways are built from granite. It combines the architectural art of the west and east and it has many wonderful engravings. It is regarded as a major artistic treasure of Zhuhai. So highly regarded by the Zhuhai government is this building that it was pointed as the "Special protection item of old architecture" by Guangdong provincial government in 1989.
On the right side of Meixi Paifang lies the former residence of Chen Fang. This residence covers an area of 5742 square meters (about 6867 square yards), including a Chen's memorial temple, two large chambers, a hall, a villa, the Meixi temple and an ancestral temple. The residence is much like a manor with various kinds of plants and trees, brick made fencing and sentry buildings. Today, the residence features series of exhibitions about Chinese traditional Paifang, waxworks of famous figures in Zhuhai, the history of Chen's Family and Chinese painting and calligraphy, all of which allow people to enjoy Chinese culture and the local custom in Zhuhai.
In front of the former residence lies Chen's Garden and Chen's cemetery. With an area of 72,000 square meters (about 17 acres), it has a length of 300 meters (about 328 yards) and a width of 240 meters (about 262 yards). Nowadays in this area, people can still see a stele erected almost one hundred years ago. It is carved with "shengjingjiacheng" (which means "a fascinating place"). In the garden, some trees Chen Fang brought in from Hawaii are now more than a hundred years old but still look vigorous. The eight-angled pavilion, rock-paved path and lotus pool together display a harmonious scenery for tourists.
Involved in the natural beauty of Meixi Village, the Meixi Paifang Scenic Area combines the Chinese traditional architecture form and the local custom in Zhuhai, thus giving visitors a unique glimpse of Chinese culture. In all, Meixi Royal Stone Archways area has a very beautiful garden scenery, and its service facilities are excellent. It is not far from the city, and making your way there and back easy. It is a good place for you to visit.
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