Shuzhuang Garden, with its orderly yet scattered landscapes, boasts a unique architectural style that blends Minnan and Western elements, built by the sea, creating a stunning visual impact. The garden is primarily divided into two parts: the Canghai Garden and the Bushan Garden, with key attractions including the Piano Museum, the Twelve Caverns, and the Forty-Four Bridges. The Forty-Four Bridges serve as an excellent sea-viewing point, offering panoramic views of the ocean.
Constructed in 1913, located in the southern part of Gulangyu Island, the garden was originally the private villa of a prominent local figure, Lin Erjia. In 1956, the garden was donated to the state by the owner’s relatives. The main feature of the Bushan Garden is the artificial mountain, also known as the Twelve Caverns, which consists of 12 caves arranged according to the Earthly Branches. The owner incorporated the concept of ‘cave heaven’ from the phrase ‘cave heaven and blessed land’, naming it ‘Twelve Caverns’, and later embedded the twelve zodiac animals at the entrances of each cave, allowing interested visitors to search for the stone statues of the zodiac animals.
The Canghai Garden is mainly known for the Forty-Four Bridges, which is why it is called ‘Canghai’ instead of ‘Sea Viewing’. Upon arrival at the garden entrance and even after passing through the main gate, the sea is not visible due to a high wall blocking the view. However, upon exiting the moon gate, the vast ocean suddenly comes into view, and one can then walk to the Forty-Four Bridges, which is an ideal spot for sea viewing. The bridge was named after the owner’s age of forty-four when it was built. Under the bridge, there are sluice gates that channel seawater into the garden, creating three distinct water bodies: the ocean, the outer pond, and the inner pond, effectively ‘hiding’ the sea within.
The Piano Museum is located within the Tingtao Pavilion of Shuzhuang Garden. Every half hour, impromptu performances are held on specialized performance pianos, with an automatic piano performance around 11:00 AM in the first pavilion and a live piano performance by staff at 11:20 AM in the second pavilion, which is worth attending.
Opening hours are from June 1st to September 30th, 08:00-18:00; from October 1st to May 31st, 08:00-17:30.
Concessions: Children/Students: Half-price tickets are offered to young people (including Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, etc.) aged between 6 (inclusive) and 18 (exclusive) years old, and full-time university undergraduate students and below. When purchasing tickets, young people must present valid identification documents such as resident ID cards and student IDs. Young people from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan must present valid travel permits and student IDs when entering the garden. Half-price for the elderly: aged 60 (inclusive) to 65 (exclusive) with valid ID, half-price; aged 65 (inclusive) and above, free with valid ID. Free for the disabled: those with a ‘Disability Certificate’ or ‘Disabled Soldier Certificate’. Free for military personnel, martyrs’ families: active Chinese military personnel and veterans with valid ID, and families of martyrs, families of military personnel who died in the line of duty, and families of deceased military personnel with the ‘People’s Republic of China Martyr, Military Personnel Who Died in the Line of Duty, Deceased Military Personnel Concessions Certificate’. Free for children: under 6 years old (exclusive) or under 1.2 meters in height.
Children under 2 meters tall (inclusive) enter for free.
Active-duty military personnel’s families enjoy half-price tickets upon presenting valid identification.
