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A Tourist Guide To Ge Yuan Garden
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Overlooking Dong Guan St. the famous old lane of YangZhou, in the south and Yanfu East Rd, the landscape belt of the local section of the Grand Canal in the north, Ge Yuan Garden was Huang Zhiyun’s private residence in 23rd year of Emperor Jia Qing in the Qing dynasty 1818 when he was the chief administrator of Liang Huai’s salt industry. As its creative design of viewing scenery and its everlasting artistic charm, it has been acclaimed as a private residence garden in southern style with the richest local features. It is a classic example of Yangzhou’s private gardens in the Ming and Qing dynasties. In 1998 Ge Yuan Garden was promulgated by the State Council as one of the major historical and cultural sites under the State protection. Together with Beijing’s Summer Palace, Chengde Mountain Resort and Suzhou’s Zhuozheng Yuan (the Humble Administrator’s Garden,)
Ge Yuan Garden shares the fame of the four most famous gardens in China.
Huang Zhiyun, the owner of the garden, had two other names: One is Yunfen. The other is Ge yuan. He was born in 1770 and died in 1838. His parents were from Zhejiang Province but he was born in Zhaozhou, Hebei Province where his father served then as magistrate. At the age of 14 his father died, his family property fell into the hands of other people and he became destitute and homeless. When he was 10 years old, he went to the capital riding on a donkey with a letter written by his father’s old friend. He visited the administrator in charge of Liang Huai’s salt industry. His talents and intelligence won the confidence from the official. He was appointed as Liang Huai commerce chief. He went to Yangzhou and managed salt industry and later naturalized in Ganquan Yangzhou “During the reign of Qianlong and Jiaqing, Yangzhou’s salt merchants were the most extravagant in China. People with property less than one million were called small businessmen. Huang Zhiyun worked as Liang Huai commerce chief for over 50 years and accumulated a great fortune.”
The Chinese Character Ge in Ge Yuan Garden is thought-provoking. As we all know. ge is used to express measurement of quantity which may be found either in a Chinese dictionary or in our daily language. For example, yi ge ren(a man) or yi ge ping guo (an apple) in Chinese. In fact, the earliest meaning of ge is bamboo, namely, one pole. There is also such expression that bamboo is termed as ge whereas a tree is termed as mei in the ancient book entitled 《Rectified Interpretation of Records of the Historian》. It is not strange at all because Chinese characters are originally hieroglyph. Moreover; does not ge look like the shape of bamboo leaves? Yuan Mei, the great talent and poet composed the line “The moon shines bright onto bamboos, shadowing into one thousand ge Characters.” Heavy frost covers branches of winter sweet, making it pregnant with abundant blossoms. Its image is distinct, its diction magnificent, its mood graceful and its style exquisite. This explains that the poet had captured the charm of bamboos. In addition, Huang Zhiyun took Geyuan as his another name, combining himself with his garden into one, which is of profound significance.
Yangzhou’s famous gardens were largely ruined in the fire of wars over dynasties. Ge Yuan Garden with a long history is the extent best preserved garden owned by salt merchant. Its entire arrangement adopts the traditional style of classic garden of architecture, i.e, with residence in front and garden at rear. Owing to its unique landscaping, its wonderful structure, the garden rises to a winding, secluded and enchanting realm among its scattered but broad space. The construction of the garden takes bamboos and rockery as its main parts. Bamboo-growing aims at having rich species. Ten-thousand bamboo poles display one-thousand postures, affording a magnificent view. Stone-piling features is to use of different stones for different peaks-forming and this garden is known far and near for its unmatched season-differentiating rockeries. In addition, there are three ways leading to the luxurious living quarters, which betrays the former owner’s great learning, honors and prosperity and obvious luxury.
Ge Yuan Garden occupies a total of 2.3 hectares, bamboos, stones and residence each taking up one third area respectively. These three parts are independent but coordinated, each playing its own tune but forming together climaxes one after another. It is hard to say which acts the Leading role because the three of them merged into one. A fine private garden enjoys a fine site in terms of geomantic quality. People who Lived here in olden days, treated rockeries like their friends, good and helpful so as to lay the solid foundation for their family property, they treated bamboos like their kind and good neighbors, thus “The Huangs has good sons with prosperous career.” which passed on with approval.
If one can compare Suzhou’s gardens to unparalleled lines of a poem, then Yangzhou’s gardens may be compared to a polished and wonderful prose. Reading this prose carefully, it will become part of your memory. Tourists here may visit places of interest, appreciate the picturesque scenery, have a touch of history, pick up anecdotes, share different culture, mould your temperament and enjoy the pleasure of tourism.
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