Why go
The street pattern gives the villas a setting that individual building photographs miss. Roads take their names from historic Chinese passes, while different tree species distinguish the avenues. Near No. 2 Beach, Huashi Villa provides a more concentrated architectural subject through its stone surfaces and turret.
The full story
Badaguan’s name is often rendered as Eight Great Passes. Its streets borrow the names of historic military passes, including Shanhaiguan and Jiayuguan. Those names offer a useful thread through an area whose visual character comes from gardens, trees and houses rather than monumental avenues. The villas use a range of European architectural forms. Their differences are part of the interest: Badaguan is not a district where every frontage follows the same design. The planted streets also matter. A single tree species lines each avenue, giving the roads individual character as well as linking the buildings through greenery. Huashi Villa stands near the southern end of No. 2 Beach. Its stone construction, contrasting surfaces and turret make it a useful point of comparison with the quieter houses along the streets. Read the district through both scales: the distinctive building and the avenues that connect the villas to the coast.