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Explore the region
About He Garden
Its architecture incorporates both Chinese garden traditions and Western influences.
The Double-Path Cloister provides changing views through the ensemble, while Boat Hall and the pond-centred pavilion offer contrasting waterside forms. Follow the links between residence, corridor and water rather than treating the property as unrelated courtyards. The layout makes the relationship between domestic life and garden scenery the central subject.
He Garden was built between the first year of the Tongzhi era (1862) and the first year of the Guangxu era (1875), a project that took thirteen years, for He Zhidao (何芷舠), the circuit intendant of Hankou-Huangzhou-Deyang, as his private garden. He named it Jixiao Shanzhuang (寄啸山庄), quoting lines from Tao Yuanming's 'The Return' (归去来兮辞). In the ninth year of the Guangxu era (1883) the Wu family's Pianshi Shanfang (片石山房) was incorporated into the garden. During the Republican era the He family's fortunes declined, the residence changed hands, the garden fell into disrepair and was for a time turned into an amusement park.
The garden's designer used a two-tier winding corridor to divide the residence from the rear garden; the raised corridor links the halls and living quarters and, through its double-deck sections combining an open gallery with a covered walkway, allows a full circuit of the garden. Decorative cutout windows (什锦空窗) punctuate the dividing wall along the corridor's main stretch. Through the arrangement of its rockeries, the garden creates an impression of layered peaks and ridges on otherwise flat ground. It was included, together with Geyuan (个园), in the third batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level (全国重点文物保护单位) in 1988.
What to look for
- The Double-Path Cloister links different parts of the residential garden.
- Boat Hall and the pond-centred pavilion provide contrasting architectural forms.
Background & history
He Garden (simplified Chinese: 何园; traditional Chinese: 何園; pinyin: Hé Yuán) is a park in Yangzhou, Jiangsu province. He Family Garden also known as "Jixiao Villa" is the last but best work among the private gardens in Yangzhou. Located on Xuningmen Street, it is a heritage site under state protection and a national AAAA-rated tourist attraction. It is the best-known private garden of the late Qing dynasty, and is one of 20 first-class key parks in China. As the development of Yangzhou's tourism, He Garden will be a must-see place for tourists who travel in Yangzhou.
Excerpt from Wikipedia: He Garden · Wikipedia contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected introductory sentences; formatting simplified. Background information, not current visitor-service advice.
The surrounding area
A separate city for morning tea, historic streets and Slender West Lake. An overnight stay makes breakfast part of the visit.
Location & getting there
Getting to He Garden
Approach He Garden on Xuningmen Street in Yangzhou.
Combine your visit
A suggested sequence linking the specific features of this visit.
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Residential section
Begin with the domestic setting of the late-Qing garden.
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Double-Path Cloister
Follow the changing views connecting the garden areas.
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Boat Hall and pond pavilion
Compare two different waterside architectural forms.
This order is editorial. Confirm access and any transfers between stops; it does not establish a walking route, same-day connection or common admission ticket.
Find He Garden
何园 · 扬州市
The pin marks the area, not the entrance.
More places nearby
Approximate straight-line distances between map pins, not travel distances.
Geyuan Garden 个园
2 km awayGeyuan in Yangzhou uses different rocks and planting to represent the four seasons. Bamboo provides the recurring green setting, while the seasonal rockeries create contrasting textures and colours.
View guide →China Grand Canal Museum 中国大运河博物馆
3 km awayChina Grand Canal Museum stands in Yangzhou’s Sanwan wetland park and examines the canal as a connected cultural landscape. Its permanent exhibitions move between the whole waterway, boats and the cities that grew beside it.
View guide →Slender West Lake 瘦西湖
4 km awaySlender West Lake winds through a restored garden landscape northwest of Yangzhou’s old city. Its narrow waterway developed from earlier moats and canals, later bordered by wealthy merchants’ estates.
View guide →Sources & visit information
The linked encyclopedia sources support background and place descriptions. Current opening hours, ticket prices, booking rules and transport schedules have not been independently verified for this guide. Confirm them with the venue or operator before travelling.
Visitor information adapted and edited from Wikipedia contributors, “He Garden” · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 1372093332.
Background paragraphs translated and condensed from Wikipedia contributors, "何园", Chinese Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 92116206.