Villa Bella

So many people cherish the dream of fleeing the city hustle and bustle and enjoying a natural idyllic landscape. Ginger Dong visits the new house of Jerry T. Wu in a water village to experience the refined lifestyle of escaping from the metropolis.               

Jerry T. Wu has named his new home ¡°Lolly Lolly Land¡±. ¡°Lolly¡±, in his words, means ¡°enjoyment¡±. He defines his home as ¡°L cubed¡±, meaning that ¡°enjoyment¡± is exponentially expanded here. Therefore, this house has become a happy theme park. One year ago, this big house was just two inconspicuous little villas at an out-of-the-way place in an old town in the south of Yangze River. ¡°My father bought two villas ten years ago, but lived in them for only one week and has never went back¡±, says Wu, ¡°Until last year, I had only stayed in the for a total of several days and suddenly I got an idea of joining them together to make a bigger house then I can put all my favorite things in it to realize my ideal dwelling space.¡±

Wu immediately devoted himself to the design and transformation of the house. ¡°A designer in Shanghai and I drew the blueprints. According to my likes, she divided the house into three parts: living room, audio-visual area and dining room so as to bring my hobbies into play to the utmost.¡± Wu gives his typical infectious smile.

It took almost one year to complete renovation on the two villas. Now this imposing dwelling in the typical style of Suzhou classical garden is embowered in a row of fresh green bamboo outside the wall. The open space, white walls and ultramarine tiles look magnificent and elegant. On the portal there hangs a tablet painted by Wu's 11-year-old daughter with color pen. On the tablet there is a big letter ¡°L¡± in pink and number ¡°3¡± in blue, instead of the Chinese characters ¡°Wu's Mansion¡±.

The lawn in the yard is sort of sparse because in has only been planted for a short time. ¡°I am not very satisfied with this lawn and with I could change it into a man-made beach where I'll have white soft sand,¡± says Wu. As managing director of JLT Capital Shanghai Ltd., Wu always likes to try various possibilities. He grew up in Taiwan, graduated form the University of California, Los Angeles, and then worked for two years at the National Committee on United States C Chinese Relations. With his strong interest in Finance, he entered Morgan Stanley in Hong Kong. Although he had never studied finance, he showed his outstanding talent and judgment ability. His company successfully invested in projects such as e-business website Alibaba and large IT companies. Now he has invested in a six-star hotel to be built beside the Simatai area of the Great Wall. He also is always on the look out for ¡°interesting¡± programs. For example, he won the right of agency of a 3-star Michelin restaurant in China and will introduce it in Shanghai. He says with pride: ¡°It will be the most authentic French restaurant in the history in Shanghai.¡± At the same time, he is looking for a proper old house to open a club whose first floor will be a boutique to display and sell French concept products. ¡°I just want to bring some interesting and unique products into China. They are absolutely novel gadgets that you have never seen here before.¡±

As a perfectionist, Wu thinks the design of the house didn't meet all his expectations. But he says, ¡°What makes me feel satisfied is that I can bring all my favorite things here.¡± Wu is fond of tasting wines. He stores about 600 red wines, champagnes and whiskies that he collected over the past dozen years, and plans to build a cellar for them. He also likes to hold barbeques, so he has a professional barbecue pit in the yard. On sunny days, he enjoys the pleasure of barbequing with his friends in 1,000 square meter yard. With his strong affinity for singing and watching films, Wu invested 200,000 yuan in making a professional audiovisual room where he spends most of his time.

Wu is noted in social circles for his urbaneness and hospitality. Friends count a great deal to him. Therefore, he designed four guest rooms which occupy the great part of the first floor. Petal pink valances match with dark cherry wood beds in the Southeastern style. On the bed stands are lotus lamp holders. Chinese watercolor paintings of ¡°autumn¡± and ¡°waterfront village¡± hang on the wall. These rooms are prepared for female guests, while the simple but neat rooms in Japanese style are for men. ¡°I often hold parties here and welcome friends to come visit my home. I like celebrations and I like m friends to stay with me to enjoy life.¡±

A brook running from south to north makes up the natural scenery of the courtyard. The brook flows quietly. Through the tender willows, the setting sun shines sideling on a long table made from an antique wooden door. The beige cane is reflected in a corner of the heated swimming-poor. Several beautiful pillows lethargically lie on the wooden couch opposite. The classic and the modern, the classical and the comfortable are perfectly combined in this courtyard. Sitting in the afterglow, one may sip a cup of wine or read the latest bestseller. Such a wonderful moment is captured just like that.

The second floor is more quiet and private. Stepping upstairs, one finds a set of professional exercise equipment. Wu spends about an hour or two doing exercises here when he gets up everyday. The two large one is for him, the other for his parents. ¡°My father assigned me with the task of renovating the old villas and I finished the assignment in eight months. He felt very satisfied,¡± says Wu.

The tomes of the main bedroom are grey and white. The dark grey window drapery matches with white tulle. The painting over the head of the bed is ¡°Fisherman¡±- a work by Ann Yen, the wife the Consul General of U.S in Shanghai. It was won in a bid at a charitable auction for children with congenital heart disease. Its soft and warm orange hue properly highlights the bedroom. The terrace out of the French window is Wu's ¡°garden in the air¡±. Looking through the white tulle, the scenery is like an opaque watercolor painting. One's happiness and enjoyment would be exponentially enlarged when waking up to such poetic grace and picturesque charm everyday.