Ge Garden, Yangzhou
Gè Yuán (个园) is known for two things: bamboo, and four rockeries that each represent a season.
History
Yangzhou grew rich on the salt trade, and its merchants competed in building gardens. Ge Garden was created in 1818 by Huang Zhiyun, head of the salt merchants, on the site of an older garden. The character 个 (gè) looks like three bamboo leaves, and bamboo, symbol of an upright character, grows everywhere in the garden: many dozens of varieties.
The four seasons
- Spring: upright stone shoots among bamboo at the entrance, like bamboo shoots breaking through the ground.
- Summer: grey-blue Taihu rocks around a pool, cool and shady, with caves.
- Autumn: a tall rockery of yellow stone facing west, glowing in the evening sun, with a pavilion at the top.
- Winter: white rounded stones like a snow drift against a wall pierced with holes that whistle in the wind.
Walking the circuit is meant to take you through a whole year.
Visiting
Yangzhou is about an hour from Nanjing or two from Shanghai by train. Combine Ge Garden with the He Garden and the Slender West Lake for a full day.