London Mansion Linked to China’s Evergrande Group Founder Lies Abandoned

A 210 million pound ($278 million) London mansion linked to Hui Ka Yan, the founder and former chairman of embattled Chinese property developer China Evergrande Group, remains abandoned years after its purchase, with signs of neglect visible across its imposing exterior and a homeless man living beneath its entrance.

The seven-story property at 2–8A Rutland Gate occupies a prominent corner opposite Hyde Park in Knightsbridge, one of London’s most expensive residential districts.

Although its grand exterior remains largely intact, grime has accumulated on windowsills, fallen leaves cover areas along the walls, and black mold is visible along the base of a second-floor railing.

The entrance porch and railings facing the park are now crowded with the belongings of Anders Fernstedt, a Swedish homeless man who began sleeping there in 2023.

A visit by The Epoch Times found little visible evidence of recent maintenance. The mansion has remained vacant since a company linked to Hui acquired it, whose business empire collapsed under a mounting debt crisis. Plans to renovate and redevelop the property have stalled, while efforts to sell it have so far failed to produce a recorded change of ownership.

This follows Hui, also known as Xu Jiayin, being sentenced by a Shenzhen court to life in prison on Aug. 20. He had earlier pleaded guilty in April to misuse of funds, ⁠fundraising fraud, illegally taking public deposits, illegally extending loans, and fraudulently issuing securities and bribery.

Fernstedt told The Epoch Times that he had seen only one Chinese man enter the mansion during the past three years. The man arrived at the front entrance and asked him to move his tent and belongings to clear the way, he said.

Fernstedt said he complied but did not look inside the building.

He also recalled two occasions when people opened the underground garage entrance on the street behind the mansion and drove into the basement without speaking to him or asking him to move his belongings.

About two years ago, a property company erected scaffolding along the building’s eastern side and carried out some exterior plastering work, Fernstedt said. The work was limited to that wall, leaving the front, rear, and other exterior areas untouched.

Fernstedt said the property’s unusual condition has attracted visitors since news reports brought attention to the mansion and its makeshift resident. Several groups of Chinese and foreign visitors have arrived on foot or by car to photograph the building.

A Lebanese resident who has lived in the neighborhood for years told The Epoch Times that he was familiar with the property’s history and worried that the lack of maintenance was causing serious deterioration inside. He hoped the mansion would eventually be sold or converted into a luxury hotel rather than remain vacant indefinitely.

Three years ago, Fernstedt said he noticed the building appeared unoccupied and decided to pitch a tent beneath its porch for the night. He never left.

Other homeless people have occasionally stayed there, Fernstedt said. Police told him to leave on several occasions, but he returned, and no one has asked him to move again in recent years.

The property’s decline predates Hui’s ownership. By the time it was acquired in 2020, its lavish interior had already been largely stripped out as part of an earlier, unsuccessful redevelopment plan.

The property was registered through Vision Perfect Global Limited, a company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands, with Hui’s former wife, Ding Yumei, identified as the beneficiary.

The mansion contains seven floors, multiple elevators, 45 rooms, and 118 windows, 68 of which face Hyde Park. The site covers approximately 5,700 square meters, or 62,000 square feet.

Evergrande’s Collapse 

The mansion’s purchase coincided with the financial crisis engulfing Evergrande, which would ultimately leave the property’s future uncertain.

By late 2021, Evergrande’s mounting debt had become a major international news story. Once among China’s largest property developers, the company struggled to meet its financial obligations as the country’s real estate downturn intensified.

The developer, once among China’s largest property companies, struggled to meet its financial obligations as the country’s real estate downturn intensified. In July 2022, Evergrande outlined an offshore debt restructuring proposal and began seeking ways to raise funds, including through asset sales.

In September 2023, reports emerged that Hui was under investigation in China.

The mansion remained vacant as Hui’s legal troubles deepened, and no subsequent sale has been recorded.

According to records cited by UK property website Bricks and Logic, no new transaction has been recorded since the property was purchased in April 2020.

The mansion’s future remains uncertain. For now, the imposing building stands opposite one of London’s best-known parks, its grand exterior concealing an empty interior, and its entrance serving as an unlikely home for a man who says he is grateful for the shelter.

Li Yun and Sun Changkong contributed to this report.