Kezhi Garden is located in the northwest of Zhujiajiao Ancient Town. It is a large garden building in the local area. The garden has small bridges and flowing water, and every step presents a different scene. It is a paid scenic spot worth visiting in the ancient town, and the environment is quiet and secluded. Kezhi Garden was built in 1912 and took 15 years to complete. It was once the private residence of local tycoon Ma Wenqing. The design structure and decorative building materials used in this garden mostly adopt a combination of Chinese and Western styles, which is a characteristic of Kezhi Garden. Kezhi Garden’s gate is adjacent to the water alley. The entrance looks ordinary, but there is a hidden wonder inside. Especially after passing through several halls, a huge garden will be seen. Kezhi Garden is divided into two major parts: Keyuan and Zhiyuan. Keyuan was the living and learning area for the owner’s family. Zhiyuan is the entertainment and farming area. The two characters ‘Kezhi’ imply the meaning of ‘not forgetting farming while studying’, showing the peaceful mentality of the garden owner’s family who values both farming and studying. Firstly, one enters a series of hall buildings, including the sedan hall, reception hall, and hall for welcoming distinguished guests. The halls are richly decorated with carved beams and painted pillars. The roof surface adopts a double-layer tile slab structure, which has the remarkable effect of being warm in winter and cool in summer. At the back of the first hall, at the entrance gate, there are exquisite brick carvings, everywhere showing the luxurious style of a wealthy family. Passing through the halls is a winding path leading to the garden. The Moon-Viewing Tower and Book City are the most typical Chinese-Western combination buildings in the garden. In the stele corridor in the garden are inlaid with stone carvings of the handwriting of the four great talents of the Ming Dynasty, Tang, Zhu, Wen, and Zhou, including their poems and letters. There are ponds, rockeries, pavilions, and towers in the garden. There is also a stage, a zigzag bridge, and an inverted lion pavilion on the rockery. The plants in the garden are very lush. Walking on the green path, one can feel tranquility and peace. Different from many Jiangnan gardens, there are also rice fields, vegetable plots, and fruit orchards deep in this garden, named ‘Daoxiang Village’. This was for the purpose that Ma Wenqing, the owner of the garden at that time, wanted his descendants to experience the hardships of farmers’ work and the family management concept of ‘cultivating nine and reserving three’. And he himself often worked in the fields as an example.
Opening hours: Open all year round from 08:30 to 16:30.Kezhi Garden
Kezhi Garden is located in the northwest of Zhujiajiao Ancient Town. It is a large garden building i[...]
