Geyuan & Heyuan

❤ Geyuan and Heyuan are both famous gardens in Yangzhou, and I visited these two distinctive gardens in the morning and afternoon respectively, which gave me a lot to think about. ✅🌟 Highlights: Geyuan Garden, established during the Ming Dynasty, was rebuilt by salt merchants during the Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty on the original site. Covering about 40 acres, it is a typical Jiangnan-style garden and is known as one of the four famous gardens in China. Heyuan Garden, built during the late Qing Dynasty in the Guangxu era, originally named Jixiao Mountain Villa, covers about 20 acres. It is a garden that blends Chinese and Western styles and is known as 'the number one garden of the late Qing Dynasty'. ✅🌟 Architectural Features: Geyuan Garden: The viewing area and residential area are completely separated. The front part is a three-entry well-shaped courtyard, while the back is a garden. The traditional and compact well-shaped courtyard layout makes one feel oppressed and suffocated. Heyuan Garden: The garden residence is placed at the center of the entire courtyard. The design of the complex corridors forms a garden characteristic of being accessible in all directions and having a looping and changing layout. ✅🌟 Garden Classics: Geyuan Garden: The variety of bamboo (from which Geyuan gets its name) and the rockery landscapes are major features of the garden. For example, the 'Four Seasons Rockery' (made of bamboo shoots, lake rocks, yellow rocks, and Xuan rocks), praised by the garden master Chen Congzhou as a 'unique example in China', displays the changing scenery of the four seasons. Heyuan Garden: The garden's characteristic scenic windows and complex corridors are very worth seeing, known as 'the number one window in the world' and 'the number one corridor in the world'. The complex corridors are even hailed as 'the prototype of China's overpass'. ✅🌟 Historical Background: Geyuan Garden: Since its establishment, it has changed owners nine times. The original site was built during the Ming Dynasty, and it was rebuilt by the salt merchant Huang Zhiyun during the Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty, where one can vaguely see the rich and luxurious lifestyle. Heyuan Garden: The founder, He Zidao, was a high-ranking official in the late Qing Dynasty who, after becoming disillusioned with the world, resigned from his post and created this garden. It was sold in 1944 to raise funds for a school and became state-owned in 1945. The difference between the two private gardens can be seen from their names: one is focused on pleasing landscapes and undistracted tranquility, while the other has unfulfilled ambitions and a slight sense of disappointment. ❤📝 Tips: 1. For those who like traditional Chinese classical garden landscapes - choose Geyuan. 2. For those who like a blend of Chinese and Western cultures and innovative design concepts - choose Heyuan. 3. The ticket prices for Geyuan and Heyuan are the same: 48 RMB per adult. 4. Geyuan has more group tourists, while Heyuan has more visitors for check-ins and travel photography.