He Garden, owned by He Zhediao, a gentry from Yangzhou who was related by marriage to the late Qing dynasty’s important official Li Hongzhang and Emperor Guangxu’s teacher Sun Jiagui, was constructed in the ninth year of the Guangxu period (1883 AD). Known as the ‘First Garden of the Late Qing’, the garden features a harmonious blend of Chinese and Western architecture, connected by a complex network of corridors, creating a rich sense of depth in its layout.
The garden is composed of a rear garden, residential courtyards, and the small Shi Shi Shan Fang in the southeast (a pile of artificial rocks, now only a small remnant remains). These parts are interconnected through the double-layered corridors, locally known as ‘chuanlou’, which are divided into upper and lower levels. The dual-level corridors are a distinctive architectural feature of He Garden, allowing personnel to traverse the garden unaffected by weather, providing shelter from rain and shade from the sun.
The rear garden is divided into eastern and western sections. The main buildings include the Boat Hall and the Water Pavilion. The eastern section, centered around the ‘hall’, forms a group of courtyards, with the ‘Boat Hall’ shaped like a boat, surrounded by cobblestones and tiles that form a water wave pattern, giving a feeling of living on water.
In the western part of the garden, there is a central pond with the Water Pavilion built in the middle, which serves as a venue for the garden’s owner to watch dramatic performances, showcasing a unique design concept. The elderly and young masters reside in the Yu Xiu Building in the south, a building that combines Chinese and Western architectural styles. It incorporates traditional Chinese brick and wood structures, as well as French shutters, Japanese sliding doors, French fireplaces, and iron beds.
He Garden is also a natural base for domestic film and television shooting, with nearly a hundred films and TV dramas, including the new version of ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’ and the sequel to ‘My Fair Princess’, shot here. Although the garden is not large, visitors can reach any part of the garden through the double-layered corridors. He Garden has two gates, the east and the south, with visitors entering and exiting through the east gate, and the south gate is not open to the public. Guide services are available at the east gate, and the guides are known as ‘He Family’s Daughters’, a group of young women dressed in late Qing style clothing, who are also a scenic spot in the garden.
(For those with limited mobility, one person can be arranged to enter the park for free to accompany them); Hold the unified Press Card issued by the General Administration of Press and Publication (excluding local small press cards), the Moral Model Certificate; Model workers and heroes at or above the provincial and ministerial levels; Jiangsu Province Preferential Care Targets Pension and Subsidy Certificate (implemented from March 1, 2015); Disability Certificate, free upon verification; Retirees in Yangzhou hold the preferential treatment certificate for scenic spots (with the current year’s decal and the special seal for decals of the Garden Bureau), free upon verification; Hold a valid annual card for gardens and cultural scenic spots in Yangzhou, free upon verification; Hold the Preferential Treatment Certificate for Veteran Cadres in Yangzhou; the Senior Citizen’s Certificate; the Certificate for Returned Overseas Chinese in Yangzhou; the Yangzhou City VIP Certificate, free upon verification. *The above information is for reference only. Specific information is subject to the information of the scenic spot on that day. Service facilities Parking lot: [He Garden Parking Lot]. Reference price: ¥6/hour. Address: He Garden Parking Lot, Xuningmen Street. Parking spaces: 32. WIFI: Account: awifi=YANGZHOU-FREE. Password: verification login. Coverage: full coverage. Mobile phone charging: The customer service center is equipped with charging power sockets to provide mobile phone charging services. Scenic spot interpretation: Manual interpretation services are provided at the entrance fee collection office. Cost: Within 8 people, 80 yuan. More than 8 people, 10 yuan/person, capped at 180 yuan. Stroller rental: Reference price: free, a deposit of 200 yuan is required. Address: tourist center. Toilets: There are multiple toilets, located at the east gate entrance, south gate exit, and east of Yuxiu Building. Vending machines: At the entrance of the Qing nanmu hall, WeChat and Alipay can be used. Convenience stores: At the He Garden tourist center, under the Reading Building, Yuxiu Building, and south gate exit. Both Alipay and WeChat can be used.
