Drunken White Pool

Drunken White Pool

Drunken White Pool is a Shanghai Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Drunken White Pool is located on Renmin South Road in Songjiang Town. During the Shunzhi era of the Qing Dynasty, the local gentry Gu Dashen rebuilt it on the site of an old garden from the Ming Dynasty. According to the "Record of Drunken White Pool," during the Song Dynasty, "Han Wei Gong admired Bai Juyi and built the Drunken White Hall above the pond in his private residence, and the Water Department Gentleman (referring to Gu Dashen) followed Han’s example by naming the pond after the hall." The original Drunken White Pool was relatively small. In 1958, over 60 acres of land were added to the west of the garden. After the expansion, the main entrance of Drunken White Pool faced west, with a lake just inside the gate. Along the lake were grass pavilions and corridors. Crossing a stone bridge over the pond, at the end of the metasequoia forest, lies the central gate — the original main entrance of Drunken White Pool. Inside the gate, to the north of the courtyard is the Xuehai Hall; behind the Xuehai Hall, two century-old osmanthus trees are symmetrically planted. Walking along the corridor leads to the essence of the garden — the Inner Garden. The garden centers around a rectangular pool stacked with yellow stones, surrounded by pavilions, corridors, and staggered, meandering flower walls.

The central feature is the "Pavilion on the Pond" spanning the northern part of the pool, with a plaque inscribed "Drunken White Pool" hanging in the middle. To the east of the hall is a four-sided pavilion with Ming-style architecture. There are also many exquisitely carved pavilions around the pond. To the southeast is the Grand Lake Pavilion, to the northeast the Small Lake Pavilion, and to the southwest the Hexagonal Pavilion. To the east of the four-sided pavilion is a boat-shaped structure called "Yi Fang" (Suspicion Boat). Flower beds in the gaps of the corridors are planted with plum blossoms, banana plants, peonies, and osmanthus. There is a camphor tree over 300 years old in the north of the pond, and several rare large hollies in the west.

Drunken White Pool has changed ownership several times. During the Qianlong era, it was acquired by Gu Sizhao from Lou County; in the Daoguang era, it was purchased for use by the Foundling Hospital; during the Japanese puppet regime, it was occupied by Japanese troops; and during the Liberation War, it was taken over by the Nationalist transportation forces. In 1959, the government allocated funds to expand the land and develop it into a public park, which was then opened to the public. It suffered severe damage during the Cultural Revolution. Ancient cultural relics from the Ming Dynasty such as the "Stone Lions" and the "Pouring Water Guanyin" were shattered, sculptures on ancient buildings were mostly smashed, and plaques in the halls were removed and burned. In 1981, the government allocated another 700,000 yuan for major renovations and created two new antique-style scenic areas: the Magnolia Garden and the Deer Viewing Garden. The corridor walls in the southern part of Drunken White Pool and parts of the garden restored stone carvings such as the "Portraits of Eminent Figures of Yunjian," and displayed some historical art steles. In 1986, a carved hall from the Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty was relocated into the garden. The government allocated another 1.4 million yuan to renovate parts of the garden in phases. As early as 1962, it was listed as a county-level cultural relics protection unit, and in 2014, it was designated as a municipal-level cultural relics protection unit.