Lilac Garden

Lilac Garden

Lilac Garden is a protected cultural heritage site of Shanghai.

Situated on Huashan Road, it is one of the most renowned and best-preserved historic mansions in Shanghai. The fame of Lilac Garden stems not only from its architectural elegance but also from the intriguing history of its former occupants. This garden uniquely blends Western-style garden villas with the charm of traditional Chinese Jiangnan gardens, and includes three Western-style garden villas. No. 1, known as Lilac House, was where Li Hongzhang and his favored concubine, nicknamed Lilac, resided. The second floor features early 19th-century American-style villa architecture. This site is now known as Lilac Garden and has been listed as one of Shanghai’s outstanding modern architectural heritage sites.

As one of Shanghai’s ten most exquisite garden villas, Lilac Garden at 849 Huashan Road, at the intersection with Wukang Road, contributed to the prestige of Huashan Road over a century ago. Today, this courtyard, entwined with wisteria and shaded by ancient trees, continues to whisper tales of romance and history. It is said that the garden was once the private estate of Li Hongzhang, a prominent late Qing statesman, and later passed on to his unofficial youngest son, Li Jingmai. Another version claims the garden originally belonged to Lin Kelaofu, the British Taikoo foreign firm's manager, who sold it to Li Jingmai. Regardless, both stories are linked to Li Jingmai. We’ll follow the first narrative here. From the late 1860s, as a leader of the Self-Strengthening Movement, Li Hongzhang established modern military, textile, and shipping industries in Shanghai, such as the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau, the China Cotton Cloth Mill, and the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company. He frequently stayed in Shanghai accompanied by his favorite concubine, Lilac. He tasked Sheng Xuanhuai with purchasing property for her. Sheng acquired a 2.67-hectare plot on Haig Road (now Huashan Road) and commissioned the American master architect Isaiah Rogers to design it. Rogers was a pioneer in modern architecture, adept at integrating new technologies like sanitation, fire safety, and heating with elegant design. He built a distinctive villa and an expansive American-style garden filled with lilac bushes—hence the name Lilac Garden.

The two villas in the garden were built in the late 19th-century American style (later known as No. 1 and No. 3), sharing identical exteriors and internal layouts. Both feature a protruding middle section with an open-air balcony upstairs, accented in red and white that makes the small buildings stand out vividly against the surrounding greenery. Downstairs is a front passageway, though No. 1 is concave-shaped while No. 3 is semicircular. The lower level of No. 1 has three main rooms facing south: a dining room, a living room, and a kitchen, storage room, and servants’ quarters to the north. The upper floor has three main rooms, centered around a protruding balcony that serves as a bedroom, alongside a small study and reception rooms. Lilac bushes and other plants are planted in front of the building. No. 3 functions as a library called “Wangyun Caotang.” The area in front has fragrant camphor trees. The library houses a rich collection of books and antiquities. Later, the property was inherited by Li Jingmai, who blended Chinese and Western furnishings, including many royal gifts from both China and abroad. The walls featured portraits and Western paintings. Most striking was the entrance carpet—a massive white tiger skin. After Li Jingmai’s death, his son Li Guochao donated over 10,000 volumes of books to Aurora University Library before going abroad. These included military treatises, local chronicles, genealogies, handwritten copies of Yuanrou Quanshu, and the Complete Works of Li Hongzhang. Aurora University highly valued the donation, setting up a dedicated room with custom carved bookshelves and naming it the “Li Family Library.” The university’s journal even published an article highlighting the collection. In the 1950s, after educational restructuring, the books were transferred to Fudan University Library.

To the south of Lilac Garden lies a vast expanse of landscaped gardens offering unobstructed views of both Western and Chinese garden designs. The garden features large lawns, tall camphor trees, and three red-and-white British-style garden villas (No. 2 was built after the liberation) nestled among lush greenery. Meandering paths wind through bamboo groves. The entrance to the garden is flanked by a winding, undulating low wall stretching over 100 meters with 18 rises and falls, often described as “a dragon lying half in the garden,” hence nicknamed the “Dragon Wall.” The wall has arched gateways known as Dragon Gates, with pebble-paved walkways leading inside.

The two villas are built in the late 19th-century American style, sharing the same external appearance and internal layout. Both have a protruding central section, with balconies upstairs and front passageways downstairs. However, No. 1 is concave-shaped, and No. 3 is semicircular.

Lilac Garden lies to the south of the villas and is named for the many lilac bushes planted within. Of course, it is also said to be named after Li Hongzhang’s concubine, nicknamed Lilac. The garden contains a lake called Weiming Lake, featuring a zigzag bridge and an octagonal pavilion in the center with a simple glazed tile roof topped by a phoenix sculpture—thus called Phoenix Pavilion. The lakeside includes dry boats and rockeries designed in traditional Chinese garden style but infused with Western garden aesthetics, creating a perfect fusion. There is also a winding Dragon Wall with glazed tile roofing, adorned with over a hundred intricately carved dragons in various poses. Surrounding the lake are Taihu rocks shaped like animals, evoking charm through their abstract forms. The garden also features winding paths, small bridges, and stone caves.

The garden includes a lake spanned by a zigzag bridge, with an octagonal pavilion in the center featuring a simple glazed tile roof topped with a phoenix sculpture, known as the Phoenix Pavilion. It faces a dragon-head ornament in the distance, symbolizing harmony between dragon and phoenix. There is also a boat house by the lake. Lush trees, flower beds, and rockeries blend Chinese and Western styles. The shaded stones, fragrant blooms, and serene atmosphere make it dreamlike. Various plants are planted throughout, including wintersweet, wisteria, plane trees, camphor trees, and osmanthus. But what captivates most are the blooming lilacs. Many prefer to believe this elegant garden was built for a woman named Lilac.

On April 4, 2014, the Shanghai Municipal People's Government designated Lilac Garden as a Protected Cultural Heritage Site of Shanghai (Hu Fu Fa [2014] No. 29).

Address: 853 Huashan Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai (West Gate 1)

Type: Historic Residence of a Celebrity

Recommended Visit Duration: 1–2 hours

Ticket Information:

No admission fee.

Transportation:

Take a bus to Huashan Road & Wukang Road, or take Metro Lines 1, 7, or 10 to Changshu Road or Shanghai Library stations.

Li Jingmai (1876–1938), from East Township, Hefei, Anhui, styled himself Jigao, also known as Yusu or as owner of the Chengyuan Estate. He was the youngest (third) son of Li Hongzhang. In the 31st year of the Guangxu reign (1905), he served as minister to Austria. The following year, he was appointed as Guanglu Temple Qing. He returned to China in the 33rd year and successively served as judicial commissioner in Jiangsu, Henan, and Zhejiang. In the 2nd year of the Xuantong reign (1910), he went to Japan and Europe with a delegation to study military affairs. After the Xinhai Revolution, he settled in Shanghai and engaged in business, gaining a reputation for wealth due to his financial acumen. He later participated in the Zhang Xun Restoration, and after its failure, returned to Shanghai. In 1938… More details about Li Jingmai ++

Li Hongzhang (February 15, 1823 – November 7, 1901), styled Shaonian and Yisou, also known as Li Zhongtang or Zhangtong, was a key statesman in the late Qing Dynasty. He served as Viceroy of Zhili and Minister of Beiyang Trade, and was granted the title of First Class Marquis of Suyi. Li Hongzhang, along with Zeng Guofan, Zhang Zhidong, and Zuo Zongtang, was known as one of the “Four Great Ministers of the Late Qing Revival.” Alongside Bismarck and Grant, he was hailed as one of the “Three Great Figures of the 19th Century.” During his tenure, he suppressed the Taiping Rebellion, spearheaded the Self-Strengthening Movement, actively promoted the establishment of a modern navy and the Beiyang Fleet, but ultimately had to sign the Treaty of Vietnam as a diplomatic representative… More details about Li Hongzhang ++