Dongrong Garden

Dongrong Garden

Dongrong Garden is a cultural heritage conservation unit of Jiangsu Province.

Dongrong Garden is located at No. 98 Dongguan Street, Guangling District, Yangzhou City, and was formerly known as "Lu’s Mansion." The garden’s owner, Lu Jingxi, was originally from Hefei, Anhui, later relocated to Baoying, and then moved to Yangzhou. He once served in the Lianghuai Salt Administration. His wife was the daughter of Li Yunzhang, the fourth younger brother of Li Hongzhang. Dongrong Garden was originally purchased from the residence of Zhang Wuling and subsequently renovated. Zhang Wuling and his wife, Lu Ying, had their third daughter married to the famous writer Shen Congwen. The garden features artificially built earthen hills, which gently slope from the southwest to the northeast, connecting to the buildings in the backyard. To the north of the courtyard are three halls, flanked by two side wings and surrounded by a winding corridor, forming a traditional quadrangle garden layout. The garden is adorned with uniquely shaped rocks arranged in an artful, staggered fashion, interspersed with pine and plum trees, highlighting the “plum as the master” theme. At a time when rockeries were highly fashionable, this design stood out as unique. Currently, parts of the garden have been lost, and the flower hall was relocated in 1984 to the "West Garden Meandering Waters" area of Slender West Lake. Remaining structures within the garden include the gate tower, main halls, and residential buildings spread across three sections, covering a land area of over 1,700 square meters and a built-up area of over 1,200 square meters. The east section faces south and consists, from south to north, of the entrance hall, main hall, and three rows of residential rooms, all with three bays in width and a depth of seven rafters. The middle section includes the screen hall, main hall, and three rows of residences. The first four rows of buildings all have three bays in width, while the fifth row has a bright-three-dark-five layout with a depth of seven rafters and side rooms on the east and west. The west section was originally the garden area, featuring a main hall, flower hall, and a central garden. The garden portion has since been lost, and the flower hall was relocated in 1984 to the West Garden Meandering Waters of Slender West Lake for preservation. Only the main hall remains, with three bays in width.

On December 19, 2011, the People's Government of Jiangsu Province listed it as part of the seventh batch of provincial-level cultural heritage conservation units.

Further Reading:

· The First to Third Batches of Municipal-Level Cultural Heritage Conservation Units in Yangzhou City

· The Seventh Batch of Provincial-Level Cultural Heritage Conservation Units in Jiangsu Province