Eling Park 鹅岭公园

About Eling Park

Kansheng Tower, also called Liangjiang Pavilion, is its most prominent elevated landmark. Lower down, Rong Lake and its rope bridge give the visit a quieter garden scale. The contrast between these enclosed spaces and the high outlook is the park’s particular attraction, with changing sightlines as the paths rise towards the ridge.

Eling Park occupies the site of a private villa named Liyuan (礼园), also known as Yiyuan (宜园), that was built in 1909 by Li Yaoting (李耀庭), the first chairman of the Chongqing Chamber of Commerce, and was known as Eling Villa (鹅岭山庄). Large-scale restoration of the site was carried out in 1958, after which it took the name Eling Park. The villa retains the style of the Chinese 'southern school' of garden design (南派园林).

The park sits on a narrow ridge on the Yuzhong peninsula, the highest point in the urban area, and is said to be named for a shape resembling a goose's head; it adjoins Fotuguan Park (佛图关公园). From its Liangjiang Pavilion (两江亭), the whole of the Yuzhong peninsula and both the Yangtze and Jialing rivers can be seen. The park also contains a Hiroshima Garden (广岛园), built in Japanese style to mark ties with Hiroshima, Chongqing's sister city in Japan. Each spring it holds a tulip exhibition and each autumn a chrysanthemum exhibition.

What to look for

• Kansheng Tower: the park’s elevated city-view landmark.
• Rong Lake and rope bridge: a distinctive garden scene below the outlook.

Location & getting there

Getting to Eling Park

Approach the park on Eling Main Street in Yuzhong; the documented park address is 176 Eling Main Street. Allow for the uphill garden paths when choosing a drop-off and planning the visit.