Grand View Garden
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The Grand View Garden (Chinese: 大观园; Pinyin: Dàguānyuán) is a large garden in the classic novel Dream of the Red Chamber. It is the setting of much of the story.
Built in chapters 16 and 17 of the novel, it was the sight of Jia Yuanchun's first visit home as an Imperial Concubine. At that time, music and lights decorated the place so it was fit for Imperial patronage. After Yuanchun leaves, the Garden is made at her own request the home of her brother, half-sister, sister-in-law, and cousins. Being very beautiful and peaceful, it is a perfect home for Baoyu and the girls. Granny Liu also pays a visit to Grandview Garden in chapters 40 and 41. She is very impressed at the vegetation , water, layout, and life in the Garden. As a gift, the Dowager commissions Xichun to make a painting of the Garden for Granny Liu to take back home. It is here that the nun Miaoyu is met by many, and where she is also kidnapped. Eventually, the young girls drift away from the Garden. Yingchun is married off to her death. Tanchun is also married, but to the frontier. Shi Xiangyun marries and is widowed, while Baochai marries Baoyu and is abandoned. Lin Daiyu dies of grief and Li Wan moves into the inner apartments of the Ronnguo Mansion.
When the Jia family estates are confiscated, the Garden is ransacked. Being farther from the inner apartments, it is also destroyed by the Imperial Guards.
