This is Part One in our series on the biggest and baddest cribs in the Pearl River Delta, where we explore the most beautiful homes in the region and the diverse furnishings that make them unique.
Prior to embarking on this story to showcase the hippest cribs in the PRD, we were largely indifferent toward the lure of flashy abodes. Excessive, out of reach and synonymous with weeklong binges of MTV reality shows, they were nothing more than possessions of the 1 percent – the superfluous stuff of rappers or fuerdai.
Yet with thousands of Guangdong residents scurrying to acquire grassy European estates or mansions in central Vancouver every year, the question of what, if any, luxury options exist here in southern China seemed worthy of exploration.
So when a friend tipped us off about a fancy resort in Huadu, about an hour’s drive north from downtown Guangzhou, we decided to scope it out.
Standing on the lush, lychee-scented mountaintops of Dragon Lake residence, it was clear we’d hit the jackpot. In South China, where cities consume more of the surrounding countryside each year, a bedside view of the natural landscape becomes, well, priceless.
At least that’s what the founders of Dragon Lake were betting on when they set the listing price of a 1,000-square-meter mansion at RMB280 million (USD43 million).
“You’re not just paying for the house, see, you’re buying the view, the lake, so it’s actually worth much more than that,” explains Han Lin, deputy general manager of Backyard, a subsidiary of Golden Horse Nine Dragon Lake Holdings, as he leads us up the winding drive of Peninsula Villa.
It’s a weekday around lunchtime, but no other cars or people pass us on the mountain, which is closed to non-residents.
Purchased 20 years ago, the gorgeous 25,000-acre 4A tourist destination and residential plot of Dragon Lake is home to a PGA-competition 54-hole golf resort, a European-inspired village (with its own functioning church), three hotels and a cluster of American villas – all of which border Yew Wah International Education School.
Seven mansions comprise Peninsula Villa, which overlooks a vast network of glistening tributaries and uninhabited hills as far as the eye can see.
Han brings us to one of the more valuable properties, perched on the outermost tip of the cape. The yard measures roughly 2,100 square meters and includes a private dock for boating and, in case the lake isn’t entertaining enough, an oversized infinity pool.
“Our motto here is to ‘restore the beauty of the world,’” says Han, proudly gesturing to the breathtaking setting below. It strikes us that ‘restore’ in this case may mean ‘purchase access to,’ but the slogan is probably catchier as is.
The exterior of the home is stunning. Towering linden trees line the circular driveway in front, yielding a surprisingly authentic, lived-in feel for a house built in 2013. Elegant beige columns and an inlayed stone walkway instill fresh curiosity in the three-story edifice beyond.
Inside, a quick elevator ride brings us to the second and third floors, where seven bedrooms are decked out in imported Italian leather furniture, plush carpets and world-class electronics.
Huge walk-in closets – the size of an average apartment bedroom in Guangzhou or Shenzhen – ensure ample room for shoe collections. Bathrooms are disguised as 50-square-meter suites with ceramic Jacuzzis and mirrors trimmed in gold.
Hong Kong designer Steve Leung laid out the crisp interior, which is clearly catered to the more ostentatious of well-to-do Chinese families. The kitchen area alone is worth more than RMB2 million, according to Pan Weitang, a planning executive at the resort. Divided into a Chinese and Western side, the pantry is opulent but snug, with regrettably less usable space than the closets upstairs.
A KTV parlor, full sauna, workout room and dozens of crystal chandeliers round out the home’s deluxe additions. Yet the dwelling is modest by crib standards – USD40 million would buy a place 10 times the size in most countries. Here in Guangdong, though, this is as fancy as it gets.
“We entered the market early as a luxury brand,” recalls Han, describing the foothold of Golden Horse in the early 2000s. “When most places were going for RMB3,000-4,000 per square meter, we were selling for RMB10,000. Plus you needed guanxi to have a shot at buying.”
Exclusivity is the name of the game when it comes to spending big on the mainland. A lack of truly exquisite properties means that connections, not money, will ultimately determine what one can buy.
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