Xiamen Lanqin Gucuo Mansion

The rooms are small but clean, and I stayed in a duplex where getting upstairs takes a bit of agility. The old locks are part of the experience if you’re not too worried about security. It’s surprisingly quiet at night, even though the main street mall is only a short walk through an alley. Finding the place can be tricky since it sits down a narrow alley. It’s a restored old mansion used as a tea house and photography venue, with just a few guest rooms.

It’s got a stylish, old-world feel, but it’s still comfortable and quiet. Hard to believe the place has survived.

I went in for the unusual features of Lanqin Old House, then discovered there was a photographer living on site. Guests get three free photos per room, and after that it’s like wedding photography, with more photos costing more. 😂 After a day out, I was shiny with oil, and the cheongsams they had were all too small for me. Even the dress I wore felt tight at the waist. 😭 I only wanted photos because my travel companions are hopeless at taking them of me. I’m always getting nice pictures of everyone else, especially my husband, who somehow picks my puffiest, least flattering angles. Humph, he’s talented at that. I’m just an ordinary person, but photographer Zhang Wendao really showed his skill. I expected to feel stiff, so I started with simple poses: stand straight, turn my head, look up. Just loosen your chin like you’re zoning out and drooling 😂. I relaxed more with every shot. When my friend saw the photos right away, she thought I’d lost a lot of weight and asked if I’d had an injection. I told her the photographer had edited out my thick arms, protruding belly, frizzy hair, and wrinkles in my clothes. Travel photography is popular in mainland China. A friend introduced me to a travel influencer who had a terrible photo experience in Xi'an. The other pictures taken in Harbin also had no real sense of “light and shadow.” Anyone who knows photography understands how light and shadow create depth, like in Rembrandt's paintings. Classics are classics. ✅ At least all the photos here are professionally edited, and the photographer’s early mentor was Taiwanese. A little background: Lanqin Old House was bought by singer Judy Ongg's father during the Japanese occupation. He fled to Xiamen to practice medicine because he didn’t want to be “Japanese-controlled.” The house is now 200 years old. It was later sold to the current owner, who rents it to wedding photography companies during the day, so only the photographer on site can provide lighting at night. I especially liked the light he shone on me from the second floor. He also offers outdoor shoots, though I don’t know the price. If you don’t have a mainland China address, write to the hotel to ask. The man in the black and white photo is the photographer’s work, very artistic. I asked him for it to help promote the place.

The manager was very welcoming, and Baiwan, the guard dog, was friendly too. I slept well and felt at peace in this century-old house, which made me feel as if the gods were blessing it. I grew up in a century-old house myself, so something in me says this hotel is the real thing. The antique style is gorgeous, with lovely details in the plants, bricks, and tiles, and it’s easy to take photos around the property. The price felt good for what you get, the hot shower was comfortable, and the bed was clean.