Dong’an Park

Dong’an Park

Dong’an Park is bordered by Longhua West Road to the south and Zhongshan South Second Road to the north, covering an area of nearly 20,000 square meters. Originally a private garden owned by the Zhang family during the Qing Dynasty, it was renamed Dong’an Nursery after the founding of the People’s Republic of China, with an area of 11,300 square meters. In 1980, the nursery began its conversion into a park, and more than 7,000 square meters of adjacent land were acquired. The park partially opened on May 1, 1983, and fully opened during the Labor Day holiday in 1984. It was awarded the Third Prize for Excellent Design by the former Ministry of Urban and Rural Construction and Environmental Protection in 1986, as well as the Second Prize for Excellent Engineering Survey and Design by Shanghai Municipality in the same year.

Dong’an Park is a Jiangnan-style garden dominated by bamboo. The layout combines traditional courtyard design with modern landscaping, using elements such as plants, terrain, water features, and architecture to create natural and uncluttered garden spaces. The design employs the technique of “creating the illusion of spaciousness within a small area” to develop a variety of garden scenes, avoiding monotony and clichés. Connected by arched gates, latticed windows, and winding corridors, the layered courtyards are serene and secluded, offering an elegant atmosphere.

The park is surrounded by floral walls, with courtyards that alternate between secluded intimacy and open brightness; the plantings range from groves of graceful bamboo to lush flower beds. Bamboo is the dominant vegetation, with 15 varieties and over 400 clumps, including Indocalamus tessellatus, Purple Bamboo, Mottled Bamboo, Fernleaf Bamboo, Shibataea hispida, Indian Bamboo, Bambusa textilis var. viridivittata, Phyllostachys sulphurea, Tea Bamboo, Bambusa emeiensis, Bottle Gourd Bamboo, Music Bamboo, Grand and Small Guanyin Bamboo—all varying in size and height, arranged in pleasing disorder. Each courtyard, pavilion, and veranda features camellia, azalea, and peony flower stands and beds made of Taihu rocks, surrounded by evergreen plants such as oleander, camphor trees, and dragon cypress. Distinctive structures like the Green Bamboo Tower, Fragrant Bamboo Pavilion, Red Apricot Pavilion, Thousand-Mile Pavilion, and Old Horse Pavilion; vivid fiberglass sculptures such as the Floral Fairy and the Graceful Peacock Maiden; as well as scenic spots like the clear Green Bamboo Lake, Fish-Viewing Pond, Mountain Spring Stream, Wall Fountain, and a uniquely designed children’s playground—over twenty attractions spread throughout the courtyards—create a series of beautiful, three-dimensional landscapes.