Huashi Lou 花石楼

Huashi Lou, also known as Huashi Villa, stands at 18 Huanghai Road in Shinan District, on a headland at the eastern end of Badaguan and beside No. 2 Bathing Beach. Built in the early 1930s as a private seaside residence with Russian aristocratic connections, it later passed to a British businessman. Its setting, with sea views and mature pines, helps explain why it is the best-known and most representative building in Badaguan.

The villa's silhouette is deliberately castle-like: a round fortress-style main block is paired with a multi-angled turret. Its walls are worked in granite and pebbles, while the interior is associated with Laizhou talc, a detail echoed in the name Huashi. Greek, Roman and Gothic touches are blended in one composition. A top-floor viewing platform, coloured glass, and varied window and arch forms reward close looking.

After 1949 the house served as a reception venue for Chinese and foreign guests. It is now a protected cultural relic, listed at municipal level in 1984 and provincial level in 1992, and has appeared in several films. Visitors come for the architecture, the garden setting and the coastal walk.

Don't miss

• Castle-like outline: round fortress body with multi-angled turret
• Granite and pebble walls, best seen up close
• Laizhou talc details and coloured glass inside
• Top-floor viewing platform over the coast
• Pine trees and manicured gardens around the villa

Visiting tips

Take buses 26, 31, 206, 223, 304, 311, 312, 316, 317, 321, 501, 604, 801 or 802 to Wushengguan Road Stop. Allow one to two hours, then continue along the Badaguan lanes or down to No. 2 Bathing Beach.