Dizhu. or the landlords. were the backbone of feudal society before 1949 in China. After the founding of New China. the communist government confiscated their land and possessions which were presumably accumulated by forced slavery and bloody exploitation. The landlords were judged by the working class and virtually deprived of their privileges they had enjoyed over the centuries.

Though the class has disappeared. their grand manors have now become a hot destination for visitors who. in an ironic way. expect to explore the luxuriant life of these landlords. or at least to compare modern lifestyles to that of the dizhus.

The Mou`s manor. home of an eminent northern landlord in Qixia City. Shandong province. is one of the nostalgic places where you can see the lifestyle of a landlord`s family.

The manor. the extant best-preserved landlord manor in China and the largest of its kind in Northern China. belonged to the Mou`s Family. In its prime. the family owned some 4.000 hectares of farmland and 8.000 hectares of mountains. which annually generated more than 3.3 million kilograms of grain.

A Blessed Residence
With a fortune accumulated over the course of many generations. Mou Molin (1789-1870) had this manor built for his family. The manor was not finished until 1935. covering an area of some 2 hectares with more than 480 rooms. at a cost of 430.000 taels of silver. or roughly RMB 86 million yuan in today`s money.

It is said that fengshui masters were invited to check the location of the manor to make sure the family would be blessed with a substantial fortune and good luck. Fengshui is the ancient Chinese practice of placement and arrangement of space to achieve harmony with the environment. Mou`s manor is supposedly located in a prime area where prosperous energy (Wang Qi) and auspicious energy (Ling Qi) from the universe meet. A 200-plus-year old tree in the manor has been enshrined by locals who believe they can receive a blessing from the tree by scratching the trunk.

To retain its mystical energy. the manor is shaped like an ancient lock. The manor is comprised of three courtyards and includes several Siheyuans. which are quadrangular areas surrounded by houses on each side.

The manor`s layout was designed with social hierarchy in mind: deceased ancestors were enshrined in the hall; the lord lived upstairs; his wife. concubines and offspring lived downstairs; and the servants occupied a dormitory area. The Mou manor includes barns. a mill. a pharmacy. and even a funerary facility for the placement of coffins.