Ge Garden (Geyuan)

Ge Garden (Geyuan) at 10 Yanfu East Road in Guangling District, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, is a Qing dynasty merchant garden built in 1818 by the salt merchant Huang Zhiyun. It is one of the best preserved private gardens in Yangzhou and one of the four famous gardens of China. The name comes from the Chinese character ge, which resembles half of the character for bamboo, and the owner planted bamboo throughout the grounds. The garden is best known for its four-seasons rockeries, in which different types of stone are used to evoke each season. Spring is represented by slender bamboo and stalagmite-like stones, summer by grey Taihu stone with a pond and shade, autumn by yellow stone stacked into a high hill that catches the sunset, and winter by white xuan stone that resembles snow. Visitors walk through halls, courtyards, corridors and a small pavilion, and can climb the autumn rockery for views over the garden and the surrounding city rooftops. The residential quarters next to the garden preserve the merchant family's living halls, studies and dining rooms with period furniture. A visit takes about one and a half hours, and the garden is compact enough to explore comfortably. Morning is best to enjoy the light on the bamboo and to avoid tour groups. It sits close to Dongguan Street, a historic shopping and food street, so many visitors combine the two, and bus or Didi from the railway station also serves the site. Peak season prices are slightly higher, and the garden is busiest during national holidays. English information is provided on some signs.