Plum Garden is located on the southern slope of Hu Mountain in the western suburbs of Wuxi, originally a private garden built by Rong Zongjing and Rong Desheng, the ‘first family’ of China’s national industry, in 1912. Every February to March, thousands of plum blossoms bloom together in the scenic area, attracting countless visitors with their vast sea of flowers. There is an old saying in Wuxi, ‘Spring begins with Plum Garden.
‘ Visiting Plum Garden is highly seasonal, and it is best to choose springtime. In early spring, the plum blossoms come in red, white, and pink, with single and double petals, and a wide variety of species. Some trees can even produce flowers of different colors on the same trunk, including the rare light green plum blossoms. The number of visitors is particularly high on weekends, so it is advisable to visit on weekdays if possible. Slightly later than the plum blossom season, in late March to April, tulips bloom, and the scenic area hosts a tulip exhibition. Additionally, the ornamental greenhouse in the Garden Expo Park displays plants from the desert. If you visit outside of the blooming seasons, you can enjoy lotus flowers in summer, osmanthus fragrance in autumn, and lantern shows during the Mid-Autumn Festival. If you happen to visit when it’s not a blooming season, Plum Garden is like an ordinary large park. At this time, you can visit cultural relics related to the builders of Plum Garden, the Rong brothers, such as the Xixin Spring, Tianxin Terrace, and the three Taihu stones shaped like the characters ‘Fu,’ ‘Lu,’ and ‘Shou’ to the south of it. The main building of the Rong family’s architecture, Songbin Hall (commonly known as ‘Nanmu Hall,’ with original furnishings), and the reading place are also worth visiting. On the slope of Hu Mountain, the Rong brothers built the Nianqu Pagoda for their mother, which is a landmark of Plum Garden. It is a three-story, 18-meter-high green-roofed hexagonal tower, visible from afar, and it’s not a long walk to get there. Climbing the tower allows you to overlook Plum Garden. To the east is the Kaiyuan Temple, funded by Rong Desheng, where the vegetarian noodles at the Kaiyuan Temple Vegetarian Restaurant are delicious. The Ancient Plum and Strange Stone Garden is also worth a visit, where you can learn about the scientific knowledge and culture of plum blossoms at the Plum Culture Museum in the garden. For visitors with children, after entering the scenic area, you can turn right to the ecological park, which has a rock climbing project, a path of bravery composed of a single-plank bridge, a single-step bridge, and a net bridge, which children will definitely enjoy. Hengshan to the east of Plum Garden is also included in the scenic area, with sporadic pavilions, towers, and buildings, and not many scenic spots, mainly for hiking and climbing. The entire text is open from 09/06 to 10/20, 07:00-21:30, with daily operating hours: 07:00-16:00; lighting adjustment and safety inspection time: 16:00-17:30 (visitors leave the park); night tour time: 17:30-21:30 (ticket sales start at 16:30). Concessions: Elderly: Jiangsu Province elderly aged 60 (inclusive) – 69 (inclusive), free; elderly aged 70 (inclusive) and above from other provinces, half price. Children: Under 6 years old (inclusive) or under 1.2 meters in height, free.
Children under 4 meters (inclusive) enter for free; minors aged 6 (exclusive) to 18 (inclusive) enjoy half-price admission. Disabled individuals: Disabled persons and one accompanying caregiver for severely disabled individuals (those with level 1 and level 2 visual disabilities; level 1 hearing disabilities; level 1 speech disabilities; level 1 and level 2 intellectual disabilities; level 1 and level 2 physical disabilities; level 1 and level 2 mental disabilities) enter for free.
Active-duty military personnel: Active soldiers and armed police forces enter for free. Tour bus drivers: Team bus drivers with a Class A1 driver’s license (accompanied by a proof of leading a group on the same day) enter for free. Voluntary blood donors: Individuals who have received awards for blood donation, stem cell donation, and lifetime honorary awards for voluntary blood donation service within the province (with relevant certificates) enter for free. Veterans: Starting from April 10th, individuals with the ‘People’s Republic of China Veterans’ Preference Card’ or ‘People’s Republic of China Martyrs, Military Personnel Who Died in the Line of Duty, and Deceased Military Personnel’s Family Preference Card’ enter for free. Students: Full-time undergraduate and below students enjoy half-price admission.
Additional notes: The above information is for reference only; please refer to the specific disclosures by each attraction on the day of visit.
Service facilities: Parking lot: [Wuxi Plum Garden Parking Lot] Reference price: ¥15/hour; Address: No. 13 Bianjia Bay, Binhu District, Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province; Spaces: 600; Small vehicles: ¥15/hour, large vehicles: ¥20 per entry. Mobile phone charging: Charging power sockets are available at the visitor center. Luggage storage: Guided tours: Guided services are provided at the visitor center. Transportation within the garden: Reference price: ¥10 per person. Restrooms: Multiple restrooms are located throughout the attraction, marked with conspicuous signs. Convenience stores: Several convenience stores are located in the snack square, north square, and Dutch square.
