Xu Garden, Yangzhou
Chinese garden in Hanjiang District, Yangzhou, China
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Xu Garden, also known by its Chinese name of Xuyuan, Xu Yuan,[1] or Xuyuan Garden,[2] is a Chinese garden in Slender West Lake National Park in Hanjiang District, Yangzhou, China. It is particularly noted for its views and for the interior woodwork of its pavilions.
| Xu Garden | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The entrance to Xu Garden, its name written right to left in the archaic style and guarded by a foo dog | |||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 徐園 | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 徐园 | ||||||||
| Literal meaning | Xu Garden | ||||||||
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Name
History
Xu Garden was built in 1915 on the site of the former Peach Blossom Dock (t 桃花塢, s 桃花坞, Táohuā Wù) garden.[2] Designed by Yang Bingyan, the garden was established by locals in appreciation of Xu's protection and patronage.[3] Open to the public, it originally covered about 10 mu (0.6 ha or 1.5 acres) and included lotus ponds, pavilions, terraces, and open halls.[3]
Components
The park is noted for the attractive woodwork in its traditional pavilions.[4][5] These include the Hall of Listening to Orioles (t 聽鸝館, s 听鹂馆, Tīnglí Guǎn), named for the singing venue in the Old Summer Palace, itself named for various Tang poems by Du Fu.[2] Two iron cauldrons sit before it, each weighing about 3 metric tons (3.3 short tons) and dating to the 6th-century Xiao Liang dynasty.[2] The nearby pond is large by the standards of classical Chinese gardens.[1]
Xu Garden is also the location of the vantage point for Four Bridges in Misty Rain (t 四橋煙雨樓, s 四桥烟雨楼, Sìqiáo Yānyǔ Lóu), one of the 24 views of Yangzhou under the Qing.[6] The four bridges are the Five-Pavilion or Lotus Bridge, the Rainbow Bridge (t 大虹橋, s 大虹桥, Dà Hóng Qiáo), the Spring Wave Bridge (t 春波橋, s 春波桥, Chūnbō Qiáo), and the Long Spring Bridge (t 長春橋, s 长春桥, Chángchūn Qiáo).[6]
An ink sketch of the Four Bridges under the Qing
The designated building for the view
Ye Forest (叶林, Yè Lín) or Ye Garden (t 叶園, s 叶园, Yè Yuán) is also included under the garden's administration.[7] Covering 4.8 hectares (12 acres), it was created by Ye Xiufeng in 1927 as a private garden for his father,[7] the teacher Ye Weishan. It is principally covered in cedar and cypress.[7]
See also
- Xu Garden (煦园) beside the Presidential Palace in Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
- List of Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Jiangsu