✨ Meiling Palace — Romance, History & Legacy

Nestled on Little Red Hill (小红山) just east of Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, Meiling Palace was built in 1931–1934 as the presidential residence of the Nationalist government. Locally also known as Meiling Gong or Měilíng Gōng, it’s often called “the First Villa in the Far East.” 

🕰 Architectural & Historic Highlights
• The structure blends traditional Chinese palace form with Western villa elements. The roof is covered in green glazed tiles, and you’ll find over 1,000 carved phoenixes on its ridges. 
• It has three stories above ground + one underground floor, arranged to reflect both formal reception and private living areas. Among its rooms are a banquet hall, meeting rooms, bedrooms, and a prayer chapel named “Kaige Hall (凯歌堂)”. 
• The underground floor houses functional spaces such as the kitchen, boiler room, and laundry. 
• The gardens and layout are said to echo the image of a necklace: the circular driveway and ringed French plane trees form the “chain,” with Meiling Palace as the “pendant.” 

🎨 Visiting Today
• Meiling Palace is open to visitors, with its interior arranged to reflect how it was during the life of Chiang Kai-shek and Soong Mei-ling. 
• The design, gardens, and relics evoke both political history and romantic storytelling. Many visitors come to appreciate the architectural elegance and the stories behind it.

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Post by NatDiscoversAsia | Sep 30, 2025