Taishan Park boasts a rich history, dating back to the Southern Song Dynasty in 1140 when it was formed as a result of the excavation of the East and West rivers in Taizhou, with the mound of earth named after the state’s name, Taishan. In 1951, it was developed into a recreational park, taking Taishan as its main feature and thus named Taishan Park.
The park is divided into four distinct areas: the Cultural Landscape Area, the Bonsai Viewing Area, the Street Green Space Recreation Area, and the Waterfront Leisure Area. The Cultural Landscape Area is primarily composed of a cultural landscape axis, a water garden, a hollow courtyard, a dawn square, and a small island in the lake, seamlessly blending modern plaza styles with ancient architecture.
The Bonsai Viewing Area combines the display of bonsai with environmental creation, with the main structures being exhibition halls, water pavilions, and a series of connected corridors. The Street Green Space Recreation Area, consisting of a tree array plaza, a sunken square, and a children’s playground, serves as an ideal spot for citizens to exercise and play in the morning.
The Waterfront Leisure Area is mainly made up of a waterfront large platform, fishing platforms, a yacht dock, as well as Taishan, a fake mountain in the lake, a lakeside temple, and a thatched hall named Chunyu, providing a venue for tourists to relax and entertain by the water.
Inside the park, there is also a temple dedicated to Yue Fei. In 1582 during the Ming Dynasty, Deputy Military Commissioner Shu Dayou built the Yue Wumu Temple on the mountain top to commemorate Yue Fei, the governor of Taizhou during the Song Dynasty. The temple has undergone several renovations, and today it houses statues of Yue Fei and others. The statue of Yue Fei is majestic, wearing a royal crown and a dragon robe, accompanied by a casual statue of Yue Fei holding a book and a statue of his son Yue Yun holding a pair of hammers. On both sides of the hall, there are statues of 16 of Yue Fei’s generals, all lifelike. At the entrance on the west side of the hall, there are kneeling statues of Qin Hui and his wife. The park is open all year round, 24 hours a day.
