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| The former Moller Villa has been turned into a luxury hotel. |
THE architecture at the intersection of Shanxi Lu and Yan'an Lu has recently attracted the attention of passers-by. The tall walls, which were densely covered with lichen, have been scaled off to expose their original red, yellow and blue bricks.
The motley villa and garden occupying 5,000 square metres has been reopened as the Hengshan Moller Villa Hotel.
Originating in the dream of the daughter of British businessman Eric Moller, the villa took 10 years to complete. Legend has it that his daughter had dreamed of a nice house like the one in Andersen's fairy tales and drew it for her father who passed it to the architect.
However, when the villa was finally completed in 1936, the Japanese invaded the city and the Mollers had to withdraw.
Moller had made a fortune from horse-racing with a miracle horse.
In memory of the horse, Moller erected a bronze horse sculpture in the garden that remains today, however the saddle was destroyed by the Japanese.
The villa looks brand-new with the facelift. Due to serious damage by termites, the wooden floors on the first level have been entirely reinstalled, in accordance with the original design.
More than 400 kinds of splendid decorative patterns dot the building.
The Norway-styled architecture imitates the inner structures of a ship. As one ascends the stairs, they find the higher up the more narrow. Some furniture and sofas were built into the walls, which are the only things left in the building after so many years.
The villa has 16 suites and each of them boasts a different style, either British, Italian or Spanish.
The luxurious guestrooms at 4,000 yuan per day have glass doors and thick curtains for privacy. The suites have many details to study - the ornaments, yellow glass windows, gauze around the king-sized bed and even the tiny exquisite handles on the closets. The spacious balconies offer a panoramic view.
The villa is just like a castle from fairy stories with candy colours. The tiny and decorative windows on the pointed attics even have curtains and moving casements.
