Qian Garden is located on Jianshe Road in Huzhou, sharing the same garden with Lianhua Garden. On the eastern side of the main gate of Qian Garden, there are two large characters ‘Qian Garden’ written by Professor Chen Congzhou from Tongji University on the blue tile and whitewashed wall.
Upon entering the gate, one is greeted by a rockery made from over a thousand tons of Taihu stones. To the south of the mountain, there is a small pavilion with wooden pillars and brown tiles, in which the famous calligrapher Tan Jiancheng from Huzhou has inscribed the words ‘Xiao Penglai’. To the east of the rockery stands the Lu Family’s book donation stele, commemorating the contribution of Lu Xinyuan to book donation. The garden also features a long corridor named ‘Bao Xuan’, adorned with stone sprouts, flowers, banana trees, and camphor trees. There is also a pond, with five Taihu stones standing by the edge, one of which is known as ‘Lotus Peak’ and is now listed as a municipal cultural relic. Overall, the garden is extremely elegant, with exquisite pieces of art and nature, making it an ideal place for sightseeing and relaxation. Background knowledge: Initially built in the early years of the Guangxu Emperor, it was a private garden built by the book collector Lu Xinyuan, hence the name ‘Lu’s Garden’. Later, it was renamed ‘Qian Garden’ after Lu Xinyuan referred to himself as ‘Old Man of Qian Garden’. After the February Revolution, Dai Jitao lived here for a period, enjoying a secluded life. At the beginning of its construction, Qian Garden featured 16 scenic spots such as ‘Shou Xian Pavilion’, ‘Si Hai Jing She’, and ‘Wu Shi Thatched Cottage’. Most of the buildings were destroyed during the Anti-Japanese War. The garden is open from April 1st to November 30th from 06:00 to 22:00; and from December 1st to March 31st from 06:00 to 20:00. The actual operating status is subject to the garden’s daily opening conditions.
