He Garden

He Garden, or Heyuan Garden, located in Xuningmen Street in Jiangsu Yangzhou City, is the national key cultural relics protection units. It is known as "the first garden in late Qing Dynasty".

The He Garden is the representative work of Yangzhou gardens in the late Qing Dynasty, and is the embodiment of Yangzhou's garden characteristics. It makes full use of the gallery building function and charm; the 1500 meters complex road corridors here is unique wonderful landscapein China's gardens.

The scale of this garden is huge, covering an area of more than 14000 square meters; and the building area has reached more than 7000 square meters, accounting for more than 50% of the total area; reflecting the late Qing Dynasty garden architecture characteristics. The whole garden is divided into the east garden, west garden, garden countyard, slice of stone and hills room, with two layer series floor and compound corridor connecting with the house.

The main building of the east garden is all sides hall like a ship form, with all round pebbles, tile floor, decorative pattern for water wave shape, giving a person with a water artistic conception. The west garden has open space with a big pool in the the center; the halls and bungalows are built surround the pool.

The Series floor is the biggest characteristic of He Garden's architectural art. On the pane and wall of the floor, there are poems written by Su Dongpo, Tang Bohu, Zheng Banqiao, and etc...and the stone tablets are embedded the ancients verse. The "view garden mirror" in the corridor can help tourists have a whole view of the He Garden; fully embodies an organic whole with the architectural art and the natural scenery beauty.
 

Facts of He Garden in Yangzhou

Heyuan, located in Xuningmen Street beside the ancient canal, was originally named "Jixiao Mountain Villa". It was built in Qing Dynasty(AD 1883). He Zhiqing, spent 13 years to build and expand the He garden. Heyuan Garden covers an area of 14,000 square meters, of which the building area is 7,000 square meters. Because the owner's surname is He, it is called "Heyuan" for short.
 

Why Visit the He Garden

Corridor

He Garden is the first in the world in China's gardening art. Enjoy the reputation of "the first corridor in the world", the corridor is 1,500 meters long and divided into two floors, which connects the pavilions in Heyuan Garden like pearls, and is praised by experts in the industry as the prototype of the earliest overpass in China's traffic history.
 

Pavilions

Shuixin Pavilion is called the first pavilion in the world because it skillfully uses the echo of the water surface and the corridor around the garden to enhance the resonance effect of its sound.

Window

The window in the He Garden is called the first window in the world. There are 12 rosaces, including plum and begonia. The rosace plays an extremely important role in the garden.
 

Pianshi Mountain House

Pianshi Mountain House in the He Garden is called the first mountain in the world. Pianshi Mountain House was created by Master Shi Tao, a great painter in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties. He was one of the members of Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou. These eight Chinese painters known in the Qing Dynasty for rejecting the orthodox ideas about painting in favour of a style deemed expressive and individualist.
 

Things to Do at He Garden

Know about the Story of He Family

He Garden is a private garden of He Family. Strolling around the He Garden, you can know about the story of the He Family, especially the founder of the He Garden. The owner of the He Garden is He Jun, father of He Zhidao. At the He Garden, we will know about the contributions that He’s family made to the Qing Dynasty at that time.
 

Admire the Architectural Design of He Garden

He Garden is known as the first garden in the late Qing dynasty. At the He Garden, we can see the 1,500-meter corridor with two storey. We can also see the beautiful rosaces at the He Garden. The most famous building at the He Garden is the Pianshi Mountain House. Famous scholar in China, Yu Qiuyu, phrased that Pianshi Mountain House is a typical building in the gardens of China. As one of the best-preserved private gardens in China, you can slowly admire the architectures in He Garden, which is typical style of the south of the Yangtze River.

Best Time to Visit He Garden

As a typical representative of the classical gardens in the late Qing Dynasty, He Garden is always beautiful in different seasons. The best time to visit the He Garden will depend on the scenery you prefer. Spring and autumn is recommended to visit Yangzhou. And the famous poetry in China recorded that spring is the best time to visit Yangzhou. In spring, you can enjoy the flower blossoms and lush surroundings in He Garden. You can enjoy the lush scenery as well as admiring the architectures in He Garden.

In summer, there are many clear days, and you can enjoy the beautiful scenery and exquisite architectural design of the He Garden. In autumn, the He Garden is more expressive with the colorful autumn leaves. In winter, the whole He Garden will be covered by snow in snowy days. The architectures, rockeries and plants in the garden are covered by snow, and you can also see the blooming plums with fragrance.
 

How to Get to He Garden in Yangzhou

Bus: Take the bus 6, 19 and 209, you can get off at the He Garden Station.