Xu Garden, Yangzhou

Xu Garden, also known by its Chinese name of Xuyuan, Xu Yuan, or Xuyuan Garden, 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
Xu Garden is named for Xu Baoshan ( t, s , Xú Bǎoshān; 1866 – 24 May 1913), a warlord of the late Qing and early Republican eras, who was often based in Yangzhou.

History
Xu Garden was built in 1915 on the site of the former Peach Blossom Dock ( t, s , Táohuā Wù) garden. Designed by Yang Bingyan, the garden was established by locals in appreciation of Xu's protection and patronage. Open to the public, it originally covered about 10 mu (0.6 ha) and included lotus ponds, pavilions, terraces, and open halls.

Components


The park is noted for the attractive woodwork in its traditional pavilions. 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. Two iron cauldrons sit before it, each weighing about 3 MT and dating to the 6th-century Xiao Liang dynasty. The nearby pond is large by the standards of classical Chinese gardens.

Xu Garden is also the location of the vantage point for Four Bridges in Misty Rain ( t, s , Sìqiáo Yānyǔ Lóu), one of the 24 views of Yangzhou under the Qing. 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).

Ye Forest (, Yè Lín) or Ye Garden ( t, s , Yè Yuán) is also included under the garden's administration. Covering 4.8 ha, it was created by Ye Xiufeng in 1927 as a private garden for his father, the teacher Ye Weishan. It is principally covered in cedar and cypress.