Ancient Bell Garden

Ancient Bell Garden

The Ancient Bell Garden is a national AA-level tourist attraction.

The Ancient Bell Garden is situated by the Satellite River in the southwest corner of Huinan Town, Nanhui District. Established in 1982, it spans over 38,700 square meters and is a three-star park. At its center stands a massive bronze bell cast in the fifth year of the Longqing era of the Ming Dynasty. The bell has a mouth diameter of 1.1 meters, a height of 1.62 meters, a circumference of 2.8 meters, and weighs 1.6 tons. This ancient bell is a treasured relic of Nanhui and is now listed as a key municipal cultural heritage site under protection in Shanghai. The garden is also named after this bell. The architecture of the Ancient Bell Garden embodies many virtues of classical Chinese gardens, showcasing the natural style of Jiangnan-style landscaping.

The Bell Pavilion area serves as the central scenic zone of the entire garden, located in the middle of the park and encircled by the Dream Smoke River, with the Bell Pavilion as its main feature. To the northwest of the pavilion are the Mubi Mountain House, Rui Chun Pavilion, and a winding corridor; to the south are the Zhen Qu Pavilion, a winding corridor, and the Fish Viewing Pavilion; and at the southeast corner is the Ecu Pavilion and an arched bridge. The area is connected to the opposite bank by four bridges: Qinglong, Cai Feng, Jing Hai, and a winding bridge. The landscape features yellow-stone rockeries, scattered lake stones, stone-paved paths, and lush greenery. The Bell Pavilion sits at the center of the area, with a base covering 30 square meters and a building area of 10.9 square meters. It is hexagonal in shape, with a mixed structure, red-painted cement columns, double eaves with upturned corners, a green-tiled roof, and a pair of stone lions in front. The pavilion was inscribed by Su Juxian. The bell itself is a relic from the Fuguan Temple, an ancient temple from the Yuan Dynasty, cast in the fifth year of the Longqing era of the Ming Dynasty. During the Cultural Revolution, the bell stand was destroyed, and the bell was abandoned in the courtyard. In 1983, the pavilion was built to house the bell, which was designated as a county-level protected cultural relic by the county government in 1985. The bell is bell-shaped, standing 1.62 meters tall, with a mouth circumference of 3.4 meters and weighing 1,600 kilograms. Its surface is engraved with six images and 2,056 characters of inscriptions, including the prayer: “When the golden sound resonates, tigers roar and dragons chant; the imperial aura is pure and solemn, and maritime routes are peaceful.” The bell is placed on a stone pedestal at the center of the pavilion, surrounded by eight stone carvings. The surrounding area is planted with ginkgo, podocarpus, osmanthus, and camphor trees.

The Mubi Mountain House, Rui Chun Pavilion, and Song Ling are located to the west and northwest of the Bell Pavilion. These structures are all built with brick and wood. The Mubi Mountain House covers an area of 90 square meters, with a bluestone floor, wooden lattice windows and doors, and houses a teahouse and souvenir shop. Outside, the floor is paved with stone slabs, and along the southwestern riverbank, there are stone pillar railings with carved stone lions. To the east is a corridor about 1.5 meters wide and 20 meters long, bordering the Dream Smoke River to the north and connecting to the Rui Chun Pavilion to the east. The Song Ling winds south of the corridor, planted with evergreen trees such as pines, cypresses, podocarpus, and fatsia. At the mountaintop, there are stone tables and benches for visitors to rest and enjoy the view.

The Zhen Qu Pavilion and Fish Viewing Pavilion are located to the south of the Bell Pavilion. The Zhen Qu Pavilion is rectangular, built with reinforced concrete to mimic wood, and topped with green tiles; the Fish Viewing Pavilion is square, with a mixed structure. The winding corridor connecting the two pavilions is also of mixed structure, divided by a wall along the central beam, each section being 1.5 meters wide, with lattice windows in the wall and seating on both sides. The corridor is lined with magnolia, red osier dogwood, privet, Chinese scholar tree, and maple trees. A concrete arched flat bridge also spans the river to connect the two pavilions.

The Ecu Pavilion and Eleven-Bend Bridge are located in the southeast of the Bell Pavilion area, in the middle of the Dream Smoke River. The Eleven-Bend Bridge is a flat bridge with a reinforced concrete structure, featuring iron railings on one side. To the north, it connects to the Bell Pavilion area, to the south to the Zhen Yi Pool, and to the west to the Wen Yuan Pavilion. The Ecu Pavilion is situated in the middle of the Eleven-Bend Bridge, built with reinforced concrete, square in shape, topped with green tiles, and inscribed by Zhong Zhengxiu. From the pavilion, visitors can see the Qinglong Bridge and Yan Ling Bridge. The riverbank is lined with weeping willows, interspersed with winter jasmine and camphor trees.

The Wen Yuan Pavilion area is located in the southwest of the garden, separated from the Bell Pavilion area by a body of water, covering a total area of approximately 2,470 square meters. The area is enclosed by a 98-meter-long flower wall, making it a closed-style courtyard. The pavilion’s plaque was inscribed by Wu Jinxian. In the center of the area is the Ju Xiu Hall, flanked by the Guan Chao Pavilion in the front, a winding corridor and Ting Yu Pavilion in the back, accompanied by green maples, bamboos, and strategically placed rocks, creating an ancient and tranquil atmosphere. The name Ju Xiu Hall signifies the gathering of beauty in Nanhui, and its plaque was inscribed by Zhou Fangbai. The hall is built with brick and wood, featuring lattice windows and doors on the facade and corridors around the perimeter. The floor in front of the hall is paved with stone slabs, and a pair of stone drum pedestals stands near the entrance. To the west of the hall is a pool called Yue Hu. Behind the hall, a corridor—Yuan Qiao—leads to the Cang Zhuo Courtyard.

The Ting Yu Pavilion is located at the northeast corner of the Wen Yuan Pavilion area, partially situated in the river, facing the Zhen Qu Pavilion across the water. The pavilion is a closed-style hexagonal structure with a mixed build, featuring lattice windows and doors, and its plaque was inscribed by Chen Zufan. The Guan Chao Pavilion is located at the southern end of the area, a two-story antique-style building with a mixed structure, lattice windows and doors, and plaques inscribed by Song Richang and Liu Xizhou. From the pavilion, visitors can view the tides of the Satellite River outside the garden.

Entering Qi Feng Platform through a side door of the Wen Yuan Pavilion leads to the Cang Zhuo Garden area. This area is located in the western part of the park, covering a total area of approximately 740 square meters. Within the garden are the Pu Yang Studio, Qi Feng Platform, and Jing Pavilion, where visitors can admire potted plants and potted landscapes. The garden’s flower stands and stone steps display a variety of potted plants, ranging from rugged to delicate, in diverse poses. In the morning mist, with light clouds hanging low, the pavilions and studios appear hazy, the woods lush, and vines entwined, giving rise to the saying, “Boat ride through Dream Smoke River in the rain, misty stroll in Cang Zhuo Garden.”

Qi Feng Platform is a gateway located inside the eastern entrance, featuring lattice windows and doors, and covering an area of 35.3 square meters. In front is a stone platform that juts out over the water. The Jing Pavilion is located at the western end of the area, facing Qi Feng Platform from afar. It is square, with a mixed structure, a green-tiled roof, and upturned corners, and its plaque was inscribed by Xia Yanxian. On the western side of the pavilion is a wall, while the eastern side features a display shelf, and the northern side connects to a wisteria trellis leading to the Pu Yang Studio. The Pu Yang Studio is located in the central part of the Wen Yuan Pavilion area, built with brick and wood, specifically designed for displaying potted landscapes, with an outdoor exhibition area outside the studio.

The garden does not feature formal flower beds or neatly trimmed hedges. Roadside plantings generally consist of clusters of trees or solitary trees, with no rows of roadside trees. The main tree species include firmiana, ginkgo, podocarpus, privet, metasequoia, camphor, weeping willow, palm, bamboo, oleander, green maple, peach, and pomegranate. Along the river, weeping willows, camphor trees, oleanders, and metasequoias are planted. The Song Ling is planted with podocarpus, black pine, juniper, osmanthus, and privet, while the Mei Ling is covered with red plum, green plum, bayberry, and wintersweet. In the southeastern part of the garden, there is a children’s playground equipped with rides such as a mini train, bumper cars, slides, swings, and climbing frames. Though compact in size, the Ancient Bell Garden attracts numerous visitors with its simple, natural, dignified, and harmonious style.

Huinan Town: Huinan Town (Santuan) was the former seat of government of Nanhui County, located in the central part of the county. In the early years after liberation, it covered approximately 1 square kilometer, expanding to 1.43 square kilometers by the end of 1985. The population was about 4,100 in the early post-liberation period, grew to 21,289 according to the third national census in 1982, and reached 24,492 by the end of 1985. The name Huinan Town was adopted in 1934 after the implementation of the baojia system in the county, meaning “to the benefit of Nanhui,” and originated from the Huinan Academy in the town.

　Huinan Town is approximately 48 kilometers from People’s Square in downtown Shanghai. The town area was originally surrounded by Huinan... More detailed information about Huinan Town++