Worth saving up for: Emperor Qianlong’s retirement apartment

China is not a vacation destination to go for if you’re strapped for cash, as many of us are at the moment. But there are some things good enough to be worth waiting for… and since the main attraction is under restoration, with some 9 years left until it’s complete, you’ll have plenty of time to put enough money aside to make the trip well worth the wait.

CNN reported on Monday that the Forbidden City apartment and private theater which Qiánlóng, the fifth Emperor of the Manchu Qing dynasty, built for his retirement (although it was never used) had been fully restored and will open to the public next year.

The apartment is only a fraction of what Qiánlóng created for his dotage. The remainder consists of a 2 acre garden representing the peak of Chinese horticultural sophistication, “the climax of the period,” according to Liu Chang, of Tsinghua University. This garden has been undergoing restoration for three years already, and there are another nine years until it will be complete.

The apartments and theater are lavishly decorated, with craftsmanship from all over the 18th century world – as far away as Italy. Part of the decor includes wonderful wall paintings on silk, which have been restored in collaboration with US experts. The apartment is sumptuous, and once restored to its original garden setting will probably rate as one of the wonders of the modern world.

All in all, it’s not necessarily a bad thing if you can’t afford to go right away. Some things on this world are worth waiting for, after all.