Bilaoyuan Garden

Bilaoyuan Garden

Bilaoyuan Garden faces Xianshan Mountain, backs onto Bilang Lake, and stands in distant view of the Pagoda of Treasures on Daochang Mountain. The three Chinese characters “Bilaoyuan” (Bilaoyuan Garden) on the garden gate were handwritten by Fei Xinwo, a renowned calligrapher from Huzhou.

The garden features Jiancheng Pavilion and Tanshe Pavilion. To the right inside the entrance is the hexagonal Jiancheng Pavilion, and nearby to the right is a pool called Tan, atop which stands Tanshe Pavilion. The Bilaoyuan Stele Corridor winds through the garden in an L-shape, stretching approximately 80 meters in length, with over 70 stone steles inlaid into its walls. It is divided into four sections.

The first section includes inscriptions, records, dedications, and eulogies. Among them are “Clear Mountains and Distant Lakes” by a prominent calligrapher and former [Censored]; “Bilaoyuan Stele Corridor” by Shen Maishi, a calligrapher from Huzhou; and “Ink Splendor of Bilaoyuan” by Shu Tong, honorary chairman of the National Calligraphers Association. The “Record of the Bilaoyuan Stele Corridor” was written by Tan Jiancheng, a local painter and calligrapher.

The second section showcases calligraphy works by modern celebrities, including poems and scripts in praise of Huzhou by Chen Yi, Guo Moruo, Mao Dun, Shen Yinmo, and Wu Changshuo.

The third section features reproductions of famous calligraphic models, such as Yan Zhenqing’s “Huzhou Letter” and Mi Fu’s “Shu Su Tie.”

The fourth section consists of classical poems about Huzhou composed by literati and scholars throughout history, including works by Zhang Zhihe, Meng Jiao, Du Mu, Su Shi, Zhang Xian, Qin Guan, and Ye Mengde. These are all rendered in the brushstrokes of contemporary master calligraphers, such as Shu Tong, Qi Gong, Sha Menghai, Yu Pingbo, Wang Quchang, Wang Ge yi, Tang Yun, and Xiao Xian.