Jiaoshan Imperial Palace was a frequent lodging place for Emperor Qianlong during his southern tours. According to the records in ‘Jiaoshan Chronicles’, Emperor Qianlong greatly admired the landscapes of Jiaoshan. He visited the south six times, ascended Jiaoshan eight times, and stayed at Jiaoshan five times, leaving behind a wealth of poetry, couplets, and plaques. Historically, the palace was completed in the 26th year of Qianlong’s reign (1761), consisting of three parts: Jiaoshan Imperial Palace, Eastern Palace, and Upper Palace.
All were destroyed by wars and the current Jiaoshan Imperial Palace was rebuilt on the site of the Natural Hermitage and the Five Saints Hermitage, featuring a typical Jiangnan small courtyard. It includes architectural structures such as the Boat Pavilion, Yellow Leaf Building, Plum Blossom Building, Painting Zen Room, Manjushri Pavilion, Dreaming of Jiaoshan Immortal Pavilion, and Guanlan Pavilion. The spatial layout is unique, with rich layers and changes, presenting a typical Jiangnan residential architectural complex. The plant configuration adopts traditional artistic techniques, forming the ‘Three Friends in Cold Winter’ landscape with pine, bamboo, and plum, and the ‘Golden and Jade Hall’ landscape with osmanthus, magnolia, begonia, and winter jasmine. Despite covering an area of only two thousand square meters, it includes a bamboo garden and an osmanthus forest, arranged in a very compact and elegant manner. Opening hours for Jiaoshan are from 8:00 to 17:00.Jiaoshan Imperial Palace
Jiaoshan Imperial Palace was a frequent lodging place for Emperor Qianlong during his southern tours[...]
