Yujie Park

Yujie Park

Yujie Park is a national AA-level tourist attraction.

Before the founding of the People’s Republic of China, if you looked north from the county town of Shuyang, you could see, from as far as 15 li away, a towering upturned-eave building rising in the northwest of the town — that was the Town God’s Temple of Shuyang. Coming closer, you would also notice another upturned-eave structure to the east of the temple — that was the "Xiaoyao Hall" of Yujie Park in Shuyang, which was the main building in the park at the time. Nowadays, if you look north toward Yujie Park from the town of Shuyang, the view has completely changed: the entire park is surrounded by high-rise buildings, with colorful spires and glazed-tile structures rising from the “sea of green” like shining islands in the water...

"The ancient Yujie Park has been reborn!" This is a phrase often heard among the people of Shuyang, and it reflects the park’s history of growth from small to large. In the early years of the Republic of China, as “public awareness” began to emerge, people developed a desire for public recreational spaces. In 1929, under the initiative of then Shuyang County Magistrate Dong Shenghan, plans for a park were discussed. The first consideration was location: a plot of land in the northern part of the town, where the northern area was low-lying and overgrown with reeds and water bamboo, while the southwestern part of the northern area contained ancestral halls belonging to the Cheng, Zhou, Bao, and Lü families. The site was open and included several ancestral halls along with two ancient-style memorial archways, such as the “Jie Xiao Fang” (Filial Piety Archways), making it the top candidate for the park.

After the liberation, under the leadership of the Shuyang County People’s Government, Yujie Park saw continued development. Trees were planted, the lotus ponds were renovated, and greenhouses were added. Especially during 1986, when Liu Xuedong served as Secretary of the CPC Shuyang County Committee and Zheng Xiangcai as County Magistrate, the construction of the Shu River shipping channel was underway. At the same time, workers from several townships were mobilized to dig out the Yujie Park artificial lake, build embankments, and more than double the park’s area. Numerous facilities were added, along with extensive planting of trees and flowers, transforming the park into a modern recreational destination.

Today, Yujie Park covers a total area of 80 mu, featuring an artificial lake wide and winding enough for dozens of miniature boats to cruise. Stone railings carved with playful designs form bridges over the water at strategic points. The “East-West Lake Dike,” situated between the two bodies of water, sits on high ground densely covered with trees. Owing to its unique location, the dike enjoys a refreshing breeze. Standing atop it, visitors can admire the water and scenery: the lake wafts with the fragrance of lotus blossoms, while birds chirp melodiously in the woods, creating a feeling of being in a heavenly realm. To the south of the lake lies a richly planted flower garden and corridor, home to no fewer than a thousand varieties of plants, such as peonies, plum blossoms, white orchids, magnolia, osmanthus, Bauhinia, Purple Beauty, and purple magnolia. There are night-blooming cereus flowers that open at night and close by morning, silk trees whose leaves fold at night and unfold in the morning, and even the ticklish “itchy tree” — the crape myrtle — whose leaves move when you touch the trunk, even without wind. Among the year-round floral displays, the most valuable are a collection of pine bonsai known as the “finest under Jianghuai,” weathered by time. These include over twenty needle pines, the oldest of which is two hundred years old. They are pruned and shaped in the “mountain forest style,” some with branches hanging down, others interwoven and twisted, their gnarled forms resembling dragons or ancient paintings.

Yujie Park is most authoritative in the cultivation and display of seasonal flowers, particularly chrysanthemums. Through years of hybridization and introduction, the park now boasts over 500 varieties of chrysanthemums. The autumn chrysanthemum exhibition in September attracts both local and out-of-town visitors. The chrysanthemums spread throughout the park come in diverse colors and shapes, each more unique than the last. There are flat-petaled, tubular, semi-tubular, thread-like, and feathery types; some stand tall and proud, others tilt slightly, and some cascade all the way to the roots. Their bizarre and gorgeous forms exceed imagination. Some rare varieties found in few other places nationwide include “Ten Zhang Pearl Curtain,” “Green Peony,” “Mysterious Jade,” “Invincible Under Heaven,” “Crane Dancing in Clouds,” “Zhou Tripod and Shang Ritual Vessel,” and “Five Ladies Under the Lamp.” One variety, with a special fruity fragrance reminiscent of pears, is called “Pear Fragrance Chrysanthemum” — a truly rare gem.

The earliest and most representative structure in Yujie Park is the “Xiaoyao Hall.” This hall was first built during the First United Front period of cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party. At that time, revolutionary intellectuals, while promoting the campaign against local tyrants, also worked to eliminate superstition and dismantle temples. Within the newly established park, they built the “Xiaoyao Hall” to symbolize new cultural ideals. The Xiaoyao Hall is a traditional Chinese-style building, with painted beams, carved rafters, and upturned eaves. The plaque above the entrance originally bore the calligraphy of the local scholar Si Zhiqi in Yan-style script — bold, simple, and classic — but unfortunately, it was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. In 2001, it was rewritten by Xue Boyu in Li-style script, dignified and elegant. On the lawn south of the hall stands a bust of Wu Lingsheng, a martyr and former Secretary of the CPC Shandong Provincial Committee. Visitors cannot help but feel a solemn and respectful atmosphere here. Inside the Xiaoyao Hall, tranquility and refined charm coexist. Especially in summer, the hall operates a teahouse with seating for visitors to enjoy tea, admire the scenery, and chat. Behind the hall, the fragrance of lotus fills the air, and fish swim visibly in the pond. Though fewer visitors come in autumn, by tradition, cricket enthusiasts often stage cricket fights in the hall, attracting an audience.

After its expansion in 1986, Yujie Park added several structures of significant political and commemorative importance, enriching its scenic character. On the eastern side of the horizontal dike stands the Huaihai Middle School Memorial Pavilion. This pavilion commemorates Huaihai Middle School, established during the War of Resistance Against Japan and the Liberation War by the democratic government of the Huaihai Region to train revolutionary cadres. It was mainly funded by former students of Huaihai Middle School and completed in 1989. The pavilion is connected via a corridor to a glazed-tile exhibition hall. A massive stone stele inscribed with “Huaihai Middle School Memorial Monument,” calligraphed by Li Yimang, former head of the Huaihai Administrative Office, stands in the center of the pavilion. The walls of the exhibition hall feature inscribed stone tablets donated by former Huaihai leaders such as Jin Ming and Yang Chun, as well as notable figures from various fields. Flower and plant exhibits are displayed inside the hall. On the open ground north of the dike stands the “Shuyu-Hai Anti-Japanese Middle School Memorial Tower,” primarily funded by alumni of Shuyu-Hai Middle School, which was founded during the war to train cadres and later dispersed across different regions. The tower has a reinforced concrete frame structure. The ground floor features four large gates, and the base is surrounded by granite railings. The platform foundation is 1.937 meters high, symbolizing the year 1937 when the full-scale War of Resistance began. Above this are seven levels of the tower body, symbolizing the July 7th Incident, bringing the total height to 27.5 meters. The tower is exquisite, magnificent, and imposing. Both the interior and exterior walls feature inscribed stone tablets by leaders from that era, including Zhang Aiping (who wrote the name of the tower), Chen Shiju, Jin Ming, Xiao Ke, Yang Chun, and other contemporary figures. In 1999, a large entertainment attraction called “Lejing Palace” was added. The palace features vividly crafted figures illuminated by lights, creating lifelike and breathtaking scenes.

In the northwest corner of the park stands a prominent earthen mound called Tushan, originally a watchtower at the corner of the ancient town of Shuyang. In 1934, a thatched pavilion was built on the hill, with the characters “Quannong Ting” (Encourage Farming Pavilion) inscribed by then County Magistrate Deng Xianghai, intended to encourage agricultural diligence. The “Encourage Farming Pavilion” was long ago destroyed in war, but Tushan remains. Now, standing atop the high hill, visitors can take in the entire park — lush trees and colorful flowers encircle clear waters, with the “Ba Wang Qiao” (Overlord Bridge) and hexagonal pavilion reflected in the water. Boats glide across the lake, children’s play areas to the south buzz with laughter, refreshing the spirit and lifting the mood.

Rating: AA

Address: No. 19 Gongyuan Road, Shuyang County

Phone: 83553683

Ticket Price: 10 RMB per person

Opening Hours: All day