Chieftain Mu's Mansion

Chieftain Mu's Mansion

Chieftain Mu’s Mansion (Mu Fu) is situated at the foot of Shizi
 Mountain in the southwest of Lijing Old Town. It was originally
built in the Yuan Dynasty and was officially called “the governmental
office of Chieftain Mu of Lijiang Area”. Facing eastwards, the entire
 architecture complex covers an area of 46 Mu and spans a length of
369 meters.     

Dubbed as the “grand park of the culture of Lijing Old Town”, the
 mansion is made up of a stony archway, Yishi Hall, Wanjuan Pavilion,
 Hufa Hall, Guangbi Pavilion, Yuyin Pavilion and Sanqing Hall etc.

(1)-Yishi Hall: Meeting Hall. The hall was used to conduct
official affairs;
Wanjuan Pavilion: “Wanjuan” refers to numerous books. The
pavilion houses thousands of sutras and many paintings and
calligraphy works by famous scholars.
(2)-Hufa Hall: The place where Chieftain Mu handled domestic
affairs and carried out sacrificial ceremonies;
(3)-Yuyin Pavilion: Also called “the back Yishi Hall”. It is
the place where Chieftain Mu receive imperial edicts. It was
 also the “theatre” for Chieftain Mu;
(4)-Sanqing Hall: Taoist shrine. Taoism was also compatible
in Lijiang.    

What is the most eye-catching in the vast garden is three wooden
 plaques hung on Yishi Hall. All the three plaques are written with
 “Cheng Xin Bao Guo” (devoted to the country) by three Emperors
 of the Ming Dynasty. The middle one is bestowed by Emperor Taizu
(Zhu Yuanzhang) to Mu De in 1383 when he went to Nanjing to offer
horses to the imperial court (Mu De was then the consul in the Mu
 Mansion. Nanjing was the former capital of the Ming Dynasty).
 The family name “Mu” was also granted b the emperor at that
time hence the name “Mu Fu” (Chieftain Mu’s Mansion)     

The Mansion can be called “a palace for architectural arts”.
It not only reflects the architectural style of the central plains
 of China in the Ming Dynasty, but also has kept the simple and
primitive architectural style during the Tang and Song Dynasties.
What’s more? It incorporated the ethnic styles of the Han, Naxi
 and Bai People etc.