Yipu Garden

Yipu Garden

Yipu Garden is a national key cultural relic protection unit.

Era: Qing Dynasty

Address: Located at No. 356 Dongguan Street, Yangzhou City, Jiangsu Province. Adjacent to the east is the nationally key cultural relic protection unit “Ge Garden.”

“Yipu Garden” was built in the early years of the Republic of China by Li Hesheng, a broker in the money trade, and is now a municipal-level cultural relic protection unit in Yangzhou.

Yipu Garden is adjacent to Ge Garden and is situated at No. 356 Dongguan Street. It was built in the early years of the Republic of China by Li Hesheng, a broker in the money trade. Among residential gardens in Yangzhou, most gardens are built behind the residence, but this one is constructed to the left side of the house. The main gate is octagonal, with the carved stone plaque bearing the name “Yipu” embedded in the lintel. Upon entering the gate, you reach the garden gate, which leads you all the way to the back of the residence. Facing you is a fire lane extending north, with the residence consisting of five courtyards to the west of the lane, and to the east of the lane there used to be a lakeside rockery built against the wall, winding gracefully with sheer cliffs and rock formations that create a contrast of solid and void with the decorative tile patterns on the wall top. Originally, there was a peony terrace beside the rockery, which bloomed splendidly in season. At the northern end of the rockery, there used to be a pentagonal half pavilion built against the wall, beneath which stood a three-bay flower hall with exquisitely crafted interiors; both the outer corridor and ceiling featured shallow carvings. Renowned Yangzhou painters Wang Banzai and Wu Yanggan once worked here.

Walking west from the flower hall and then turning north, you will find a vase-shaped gate on the east side of the fire lane, inscribed with the name “Wen Jing” (Ask the Path). Inside is a small corner garden with plants, flowers, and rocks, and to its north lies a small three-bay pavilion. Behind the pavilion is a small courtyard, and by following the stone steps, you can reach the elevated corridor—essentially transitioning from behind the building into the garden area. The garden is situated behind the residence at the end of the fire lane, originally connected to the rockery through the elevated corridor, then turning northwest to feature a three-bay building facing the hillside. The building has a spiral staircase leading down, and next to it grows an old wisteria vine, its gnarled trunk and lush foliage adding vibrant green hues across the steps. The rear garden once had scenic spots such as the Moon-Viewing Pavilion and the Purple Bamboo Grove. Yipu Garden is somewhat similar to Suzhou’s Qu Garden, both making use of an L-shaped narrow plot, but Yipu is more ingenious, creating a multi-layered, varied spatial experience. It employs the design technique of “finding life in the midst of dead ends,” transitioning from a small courtyard into the detached garden to create a seemingly ending yet unfinished layout. Unfortunately, the rockery, half pavilion, green pond, and elevated corridor no longer exist. In 1962, it was designated as a municipal-level cultural relic protection unit. The Yangzhou Academy of Traditional Chinese Painting once had its offices here, and it has also served as residential housing.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relic Protection Units