Nanjing Bailuzhou Park

Nanjing Bailuzhou Park

The ancient Bailuzhou was located in the Yangtze River, about 2.5 kilometers west of present-day Nanjing, and was named for the many egrets that once gathered there. The poet Li Bai once wrote the famous line, "The Yangtze splits in two around Bailuzhou."

The current Bailuzhou Park is located north of Wuding Gate in southern Nanjing, south of Lishè Bridge over the Qinhuai River and the ancient Taoyedù Ferry. It is one of the scenic spots along the Qinhuai River. Originally the East Garden of Xu Da, the Duke of Zhongshan from the Ming Dynasty, the park’s features were destroyed during the Taiping Rebellion.

In 1923, a man from Yixing operated a teahouse here, building structures such as Lüyún Studio, Gūjiǔ Pavilion, Ǒuxiāng Residence, Yīnfēng Tower, and Huàyǔ Pavilion. At that time, a couplet in Ǒuxiāng Residence read: "This is the site of the former East Garden" (upper line) and "Its name comes from a poem by Li Bai" (lower line), clearly explaining the park’s history. In 1929, during the renovation of the former East Garden site, it was turned into a park and named "Bailuzhou Park." The park was damaged in 1937, and by 1949, on the eve of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, only broken bridges and ruins remained, along with a few acres of wasteland.

In 1951, as part of the Qinhuai River restoration project, Nanjing Bailuzhou Park began to expand. Four park gates were opened, and a pair of stone lions was erected in front of the north gate, with the gate inscribed by calligrapher Fèi Xīnwǒ. The park features stacked lake stones for artificial hills and is planted with numerous flowers and trees. In addition to renovating Jiūfēng Temple and Ǒuxiāng Residence, structures such as Yānyǔ Pavilion, corridors, small bridges, arched bridges, waterside pavilions, scenic towers, an ice-skating rink, and a Youth Center were added.

Bailuzhou Park is located in the southeastern corner of Nanjing, bordered by Chánglè Road to the south, Xiǎoshíbà Street and Dōnghuāyuán Street to the north, the Ming city wall to the east, and Xīshíbà Street to the west. It covers a total area of 15.279 hectares, including 3.82 hectares of water surface, with a green space rate of 71.5%. It is a cultural park under the jurisdiction of the Qinhuai District. Historically known as Xú Tàifù Yuán (Xu’s Grand Tutor Garden), Xú Zhōngshān Yuán (Xu’s Zhongshan Garden), or Dōnghuāyuán (East Garden), the earliest historical record is found in the *Zhèngdé Jiāngníng Xiànzhì* (Gazetteer of Jiangning County during the Zhengde era of the Ming Dynasty): "Xú Tàifù Yuán, located north of Xīnfāng in the eastern part of the county. The Grand Tutor, whose courtesy name was Dá, was a founding hero, posthumously honored as the Duke of Zhongshan and given the title Wǔníng. During the Yǒnglè era, the virtuous Empress Dowager granted his family the land for a vegetable garden. In the third year of the Zhèndé era, Tiāncì, the son of the East Garden, expanded the western part into a hall called Xīnyuǎn. He also purchased exotic stones from all over and stacked them into hills, dug canals to lead water through the winding hills, built pavilions and towers, and connected them with bamboo paths. Its secluded beauty made it one of the finest garden spots in Jinling."

Xu Da was a key minister and founding hero of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, the Hongwu Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. He held high positions such as Grand Tutor and Right Chancellor of the Zhōngshū Shěng (Department of State Affairs) and was granted the title of Duke of Wèi. After his death, he was posthumously honored as the Duke of Zhongshan. In the early Hongwu era, Zhu Yuanzhang granted Xu Da the old residence he had used when he was the King of Wú. Xu Da humbly declined. As a result, a new residence was built for him opposite the old one, with triumphal arches erected on both sides, named "Dàgōng" (Great Merit). The current Museum of the Taiping Rebellion History on Zhānyuán Road is part of Xu Da’s princely mansion. In the early Yǒnglè era, the Renxiào Empress, Xu Da’s eldest daughter, granted the land east of the Zhongshan Princely Mansion, adjacent to the city wall, "to his family for a vegetable garden." It later became known as Xú Tàifù Yuán or Xú Zhōngshān Yuán.

Xu Tiāncì, the favored youngest son of Wei Guo Gong Xu Fǔ (the fifth-generation descendant of Xu Da, who served as Commander of the Imperial Bodyguard), seized the Tàifù Yuán that rightfully belonged to his elder nephew Xu Péngjǔ (the seventh-generation descendant of Xu Da, also the heir to the Duke of Wei title). He renamed it Dōnghuāyuán, undertook major construction, and later passed it on to his sixth son, Xu Zuànxūn (also a Commander of the Imperial Bodyguard). Thus, after the Zhèndé era, Dōnghuāyuán was also called Xú Jǐnyī Dōnghuāyuán.

The Dōnghuāyuán built by Xu Tiāncì during the Zhèndé era retained its charm during the Wànlì era. Wang Shìzhēn’s *You Jīnlíng Zhū Yuán Jì* (Record of Visiting Gardens in Jinling) provides a detailed description: "Upon entering the gate, various trees such as elm and willow are mixed, while the rest are wheat fields, overgrown and untended. After walking about two hundred steps, you enter another gate, turn left, and see a grand hall with three bays, quite spacious but not very tall, inscribed with the name Xīnyuǎn. In front are several moon terraces crowned with ancient trees. Behind the hall lies a small pond, facing Xiǎopénglái, with shimmering mountain bases submerged in the water, featuring peaks, caves, pavilions, and the like—detailed yet miniature. Two cypresses with separate trunks join at the treetops, allowing passage underneath, called the Cypress Gate. The bamboo and trees are gracefully slender, perfect for shade, with nothing else particularly remarkable. Then, passing through a right-side opening in a red-plank wall, you reach a hall with five bays, inscribed as Yījiàn, facing a large pond. The middle three bays can accommodate ten mats; the other two bays are for attendants to rest. Exiting the left bay, a red bridge winds with about five or six turns, all flat and suitable for a small drink. At the end of the bridge stands a neat pavilion, right in the middle of the water, facing Yījiàn Hall. Behind it, beyond the water, lie flat fields and old trees, and beyond the trees rise countless battlements. To the right, where the water ends, there is a stone staircase leading to a towering tower, faintly soaring into the clouds—it was newly built by Zuànxūn. With painted boats carrying wine, traveling from the left stream to Héngtáng, the journey ends. The garden stretches nearly half a li, offering beautiful trees at every turn..." It is evident that Xu Zuànxūn, the son of the garden’s creator, added new features to his father’s design.

From the Zhèndé to the Wànlì era, the Xu family gardens flourished, with over ten gardens in Nanjing. After the Wànlì era and until the end of the Ming Dynasty, the Xu family declined. Descendants either dismantled and sold their estates or sold entire gardens. Chen Zuólín’s *Jīnlíng Suǒzhì* records: "In Jiǎnzǐ Alley, there is a stone mountain peak from the garden of Han Guófān (courtesy name Xiāngyǔ, a Jinshi degree holder in the Wànlì era), over two zhang tall, with numerous inscriptions by Song scholars. It was purchased from the Xu family’s Dōnghuāyuán."

By the time of the Qing Dynasty’s transition, the Xu family’s titles were abolished, and most of their gardens had been destroyed or changed ownership. A gardener surnamed Yuán, who guarded Dōnghuāyuán, lived by the bridge, which thus came to be called Yuányà Qiáo. Gān Xī’s *Báixià Suǒyán* (Casual Talks of Báixià) notes that although Dōnghuāyuán was in decline, during the "intense beauty of spring and the blooming of peonies," it was still "a place to enjoy the splendor of Dōnghuāyuán," with "mountain delicacies and wild vegetables unmatched at the time, attracting visitors to dine there." *Jīnlíng Suǒzhì* states: "The garden had a teahouse called Jìnglè Xuān and a tavern called Huànhuā Jū, famous for selling game." Part of Dōnghuāyuán was owned by Qing official Wáng Zéhóng, who built a private estate there, naming it Hóngqiáng Shān Guǎn. This continued into the mid-Qing era. By the end of the Jiāqìng era, although most of Dōnghuāyuán had become vegetable fields, its winding streams, pagoda shadows, and mountain views retained a serene charm, making it a destination for visitors to explore, enjoy the scenery, sip tea, and compose poetry.

The massive flood of 1823 (the third year of the Dàoguāng era) caused the garden’s "buildings to collapse, flowers and trees to wither, and the former scenery to vanish entirely." The once-famous garden was thus destroyed. However, the remains of the ponds and terrain remained, and over time, they formed a uniquely wild natural landscape. During the Guāngxù era, someone commented: "Although the garden is ruined, the weeping willows remain charming in spring, the reeds fly in autumn, the battlements are close by, and the Zhōngshān Mountain looms in the distance. The small pond reflects everything, and the pagoda’s shadow is vivid—making it a poetic scene to this day." This shows that the ruins of Dōnghuāyuán still held unique charm.

In the 13th year of the Republic of China (1924), the Jīnbā father and son established the Yìxīng Shàn Táng (Charitable Hall) on the former site of Dōnghuāyuán. Local gentry also raised funds to open a teahouse. That same year, during the renovation of Jiūfēng Temple on the former site, a stone carving of Li Bai’s famous poem *Climbing the Phoenix Terrace in Jinling* was discovered hidden in the wall: "Three mountains float halfway into the azure sky; the Yangtze splits in two around Bailuzhou." The teahouse operator, admiring Li Bai’s verse, adopted the name of the location mentioned in the poem and called it the Bailuzhou Teahouse. Although the Bailuzhou in Li Bai’s poem referred to the one outside Jiangdong Gate by the Yangtze River, the pond on the former site of Dōnghuāyuán had an island surrounded by reeds, with egrets gathering in autumn—a scene very similar to the Yangtze River’s Bailuzhou. Later, additional structures such as Yānyǔ Pavilion, Ǒuxiāng Residence, Gūjiǔ Pavilion, Huàyǔ Pavilion, Lüyún Studio, and Yīnfēng Tower were built on the former site, forming a small-scale garden with initial development.

Due to poor management by Yìxīng Táng, the garden’s landscape gradually deteriorated. Public opinion called for revitalizing this scenic spot. In October of the second year after the Nationalist government established its capital in Nanjing (1928), the mayor of Nanjing Special City ordered the Works Bureau to establish Bailuzhou Park. The park was completed in 1929. In June of that year, the Municipal Park Management Office took over the Qinhuai Small Park and placed it under Bailuzhou Park’s management. At the time, the park covered about 2,000 square meters but had restored its beautiful scenery. The "Spring Water and Weeping Willows," "Magnolia Standing Tall," "Red Apricot Testing the Rain," and "Peach Blossoms Blooming" were collectively known as the "Four Spring Scenes of Lùzhōu."

After the Japanese occupation of Nanjing, in September 1938, Bailuzhou Park and the Qinhuai Small Park were placed under the management of the First Park Office. The park became a haven for thugs and ruffians, turning into a den of iniquity. The scenery deteriorated, and the four seasonal scenes vanished. By the eve of liberation, it had become a ruin, with most of the land turned into vegetable fields.

After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, in 1951, emergency maintenance was carried out on the park, and the dilapidated Yīnfēng Tower and Lüyún Studio were demolished. In 1952, as part of the Qinhuai River restoration, the park was dredged and expanded. Based on its history and environment, it was developed into a cultural park with a focus on Jiangnan-style landscape gardens. Structures such as Huàyǔ Pavilion and the winding corridor were renovated, Yānyǔ Pavilion and Ǒuxiāng Residence were restored, the Bànqīng Bridge was newly built, and flowers and trees were planted. In 1957, 1.33 hectares of land were acquired to build the Qinhuai District "Youth Center." The park’s scenery and facilities were initially complete, and it officially opened to visitors, coming under the jurisdiction of the Qinhuai District government. In 1959, the small railway in the park was removed, the water surface was expanded, and Báilù Island was created. The Fāng Bridge and Cuì Bridge were newly built. In 1961, more land was acquired, increasing the park’s area to 10.6 hectares. In the early years of the Cultural Revolution, the park suffered damage, with the greenhouse demolished and the scenery becoming overgrown. In 1972, the park closed for renovations and reopened on May 1, 1976. The open-air stage, flower beds, East City sightseeing area, Báilù Island, and the former site of Dōnghuāyuán, along with roads and bridges, were completed. The park’s area is the same as today. The buildings and facilities adopted traditional Qing-style designs, complementing the ancient architectural complex of the Confucius Temple area. The garden’s landscaping skillfully combined trees, shrubs, ground cover, lawns, and terrain to create dense forests, well-balanced transitional zones, and bright, open lawns. Appropriate recreational and fitness facilities were added for visitors’ leisure, entertainment, and exercise. In 1989, a 700-meter asphalt lakeside road was built, covering 3,500 square meters. In 1991, a children’s playground was constructed. In 1993, the municipal-level protected Jiūfēng Temple was restored. The cultural park’s content became richer, and "Báilù Fāngzhōu" (Bailuzhou Fragrant Isle) became one of the newly rated "Forty Scenic Spots of Jinling."

Address: No. 1 Changbai Street, Qinhuai District, Nanjing

Type: Urban Park & Lake

Recommended Visit Duration: 2–3 hours

Phone: 025-86627129

Opening Hours:

6:00–22:00. The park closes for cleaning between 17:00 and 18:00.

Ticket Information:

Door Price: Starting from 20.0 RMB

Daytime ticket: 20 RMB. Free entry with senior, disability, or military ID, but entry must be between 6:00 and 17:00. Evening (18:00–22:00): 80 RMB with a performance, 40 RMB without.