Meiling/Mao Zedong Bieshu ("Plum Ridge"/Mao Zedong's Private Villa)

Frommer's Review

If you have an extra hour or so after visiting the Provincial Museum, Mao's second-favorite pied-a-terre (after Beidai He) is a pleasant 10-minute walk from the museum. Built in 1958 as one of Mao's several private retreats, it was here that he hosted notables as diverse as labor activist Anna Louise Strong and U.S. president Richard Nixon. There are no English signs or explanations, but they're not necessary. The separate bedrooms of Mao and his wife, Jiang Qing, are as interesting for their plainness as Mao's private swimming pool is noted for its excessive size. Personal effects, such as Mao's blood-pressure gauge and his cherry-red house slippers, speak for themselves. However, those who don't read Chinese will miss such tidbits as what the chairman liked to eat (coarse multigrains and local snacks) and what Jiang Qing's hobbies were (photography, and that favored pastime of ambitious first ladies -- amassing shoes). Off the porch outside Jiang Qing's bedroom is an unmarked vault-door leading to the dank underground tunnels that would have sheltered Mao and his entourage in an emergency.

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