Guangfu Shizhu Garden

Guangfu Xiangxuehai Scenic Area

The Guangfu Xiangxuehai Scenic Area is a cultural relic protection unit of Suzhou City.

Plum blossoms of Dengwei rank first under heaven — no place can be seen without plum trees in sight. As early as the beginning of the Western Han Dynasty, Guangfu had already established its history of growing plum trees. Yao Ximeng of the Ming Dynasty wrote in his essay "Miscellaneous Poems on Plum Blossoms": "When speaking of the abundance of plum blossoms, one must first mention the Wu region, and among them, the hills of Guangfu are the finest." By that time, the annual plum blossom viewing trip to Dengwei had long become a custom in the Suzhou-Shanghai area. The original "Guangfu Annals" recorded: "Of the so-called Twenty-Four Floral Signals, the plum blossom signal is the foremost. At that time, literati and poets from all over would come either to seek scenic beauty or to view plum blossoms, traveling by boat or carriage in an endless stream, creating the grandest spectacle of spring."

The best place to view plum blossoms in Dengwei is none other than Xiangxuehai. Xiangxuehai is located on Majia Mountain (also called Wujia Mountain) in the southwest of Guangfu Town. In the 35th year of the Kangxi reign during the Qing Dynasty (1696), Song Luo, the governor of Jiangsu, ascended Majia Mountain to admire the plum blossoms. Moved by the scene of "a vast expanse of white in the distance, like a sea of snow stretching for thousands of acres," he named it "Xiangxuehai" (Fragrant Snow Sea) and inscribed a poem on the stone cliff of Majia Mountain. Thereafter, Xiangxuehai became famous throughout the land. On March 17, 1960, Xiangxuehai was listed as a cultural relic protection unit of Wu County (including stone carvings, pavilions, and halls).

The Xiangxuehai Scenic Area features attractions such as Wenmei Pavilion, Plum Blossom Pavilion, and the Qianlong Imperial Poem Stele.

"Wenmei Pavilion" is situated halfway up Majia Mountain. Inside the pavilion, there is a pair of coiling dragon pillars, with the imperial couplet by Qianlong inscribed on them: "Sparse shadows slant across clear shallow water; subtle fragrance floats in the moonlight dusk."

Following the mountain path next to Wenmei Pavilion and climbing upward leads to the world-renowned Xiangxuehai "Plum Blossom Pavilion." This pavilion was crafted by the famed artisan of the Wu region, Yao Chengzu. The Plum Blossom Pavilion has a unique design and exquisite craftsmanship. The entire structure is in the shape of a five-petaled plum blossom, with its roof tiles, pillars, railings, and floral brick floor all shaped like plum blossom petals, blending harmoniously with the surrounding scenery and symbolizing that the pavilion sits amidst a sea of plum blossoms. The rooftop is crowned with a bronze crane, symbolizing the notion of "taking the plum as wife and the crane as son."

Just a short distance south of the Plum Blossom Pavilion stands the Qianlong Imperial Poem Stele. Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty visited Dengwei Xiangxuehai six times—in the 16th (1751), 22nd (1757), 27th (1762), 30th (1765), 45th (1780), and 49th (1784) years of his reign—and composed "The Song of Dengwei Xiangxuehai" on five of those visits. Each was inscribed on a stele, but all have faded except for the one from his third visit. The stele consists of the main body and the top section. The main body is 236 cm tall, 114.5 cm wide, and 32 cm thick; the top section is 124.5 cm wide and 70 cm tall, featuring bas-relief carvings of two dragons playing with a pearl, their bodies coiled and dynamic, with the words "Imperial Brush" engraved in the center. The inscription includes three poems titled "The Song of Dengwei Xiangxuehai."

Address: Fuhu Road, Nixiang Village, Guangfu Town, Wuzhong District, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province (near Yaoshang Road)

Transportation: Take bus lines 63, 64, 651, etc., in Suzhou City and get off at Xiangxuehai Station.

Self-driving route:

From Shanghai: G42 Shanghai–Chengdu Expressway → S5 Changjia Expressway → S58 Shanghai–Changzhou Expressway → Guangfu Exit → Xiangxuehai

From Nanjing: G42 Shanghai–Chengdu Expressway → S9 Suzhou–Shaoxing Expressway → S58 Shanghai–Changzhou Expressway → Guangfu Exit → Xiangxuehai

From Nantong: G15 Shenhai Expressway → Sutong Bridge → G15W Changtai Expressway → S48 Shanghai–Yixing Expressway → S58 Shanghai–Changzhou Expressway → Guangfu Exit → Xiangxuehai

From Hangzhou: G15W Changtai Expressway → S58 Shanghai–Changzhou Expressway → Guangfu Exit → Xiangxuehai

Address: Xiangxuehai Scenic Area, Fuhu Road, Guangfu Town, Wuzhong District, Suzhou City

Type: Botanical Garden

Recommended visiting time: 2–3 hours

Phone: 0512-66959608

Official Website: http://www.szgfly.com/index.html

Opening Hours:

8:00-16:30

Ticket Information:

Peak season (February 1 – March 31): 30 RMB; off-season (all other times): 20 RMB

Guangfu Town: Located in the western suburbs of Suzhou City and on the shore of Taihu Lake, Guangfu Town is 21.5 km from the city center. The town covers a land area of 62 square kilometers and a Taihu Lake water area of about 160 square kilometers, with approximately 32 km of shoreline. It governs 10 villages (communities) and has a permanent population of 63,000.

Known as a place of "lake and mountain scenery and blessed land," Guangfu boasts superior ecological resources, beautiful natural landscapes, and rich cultural heritage. Emperor Qianlong visited here during all six of his southern tours. The town is home to more than twenty mountains of various sizes, including Dengwei Mountain, Xuangu Mountain, and Xiqi Mountain, as well as lakes such as Dongyan and Xiyang. It features attractions like Xiangxuehai and Situ Temple... More details about Guangfu Town++