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Xu Garden, Yangzhou

Coordinates: 32°24′34″N 119°25′11″E / 32.40944°N 119.41972°E / 32.40944; 119.41972
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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
Simplified Chinese
Literal meaningXu Garden
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinXú Yuán
Wade–GilesHsü Yüan

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.

Name

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Xu Garden is named for Xu Baoshan [zh] (t , s , Xú Bǎoshān; 1866 – 24 May 1913),[2] a warlord of the late Qing and early Republican eras, who was often based in Yangzhou.

History

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Xu Garden was built in 1915 on the site of the former Peach Blossom Dock (t 桃花, s 桃花, 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

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A lotus pond in the garden

The park is noted for the attractive woodwork in its traditional pavilions.[4][5] These include the Hall of Listening to Orioles (t , s , 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 煙雨, s 烟雨, 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 , s , Dà Hóng Qiáo), the Spring Wave Bridge (t , s , Chūnbō Qiáo), and the Long Spring Bridge (t , s , Chángchūn Qiáo).[6]

Ye Forest (, Yè Lín) or Ye Garden (t , s , 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

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References

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Citations

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  1. ^ a b Yang (2022), p. 131.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Xuyuan Garden", Official site, Yangzhou: Slender West Lake Scenic Spot, 2023, archived from the original on 2024-01-29, retrieved 2024-01-30.
  3. ^ a b Zhang (2015), p. 419.
  4. ^ Knowles (1999), p. 197.
  5. ^ Thompson & al. (2018), p. 226.
  6. ^ a b "Four Bridges in Mist", Official site, Yangzhou: Slender West Lake Scenic Spot, 2024, archived from the original on 2024-01-29, retrieved 2024-01-30.
  7. ^ a b c "Ye Forest", Official site, Yangzhou: Slender West Lake Scenic Spot, 2024, archived from the original on 2024-01-29, retrieved 2024-01-30.

Bibliography

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32°24′34″N 119°25′11″E / 32.40944°N 119.41972°E / 32.40944; 119.41972