Lianxiu Garden — Jiaxing Stone Tablet Forest

Lianxiu Garden — Jiaxing Stone Tablet Forest

Lianxiu Garden — Jiaxing Stone Tablet Forest is a cultural relic protection unit of Jiaxing City.

Lianxiu Garden is situated on the west bank of Nanhu Lake in Jiaxing, by Wenxing Bridge. It is a cultural relics and stone tablet park recently established by the Jiaxing municipal government. The garden is centered around a stele corridor, with ancient buildings to the west that house a memorial room for the famous painter Pu Hua (also known as Pu Zhuying), a native of Jiaxing, a late Qing dynasty painter and calligrapher, and the founder of the Shanghai School of painting. The garden is organized around “Wenxing Bridge” and a “replica ancient street,” and is divided into a northern and southern section. The northern section was completed and opened to the public in May 1994, while the southern section is currently under planning. The western part of the northern section features a symmetrical layout along a central axis, designed in a four-courtyard style, while the eastern side adopts a free-form, open garden layout. The entire garden includes a 270-meter-long stele corridor inlaid with 95 stone tablets of various sizes from different dynasties.

The corridors on both sides of Lianxiu Garden are inlaid with carved stones such as those from the “Qingyi Pavilion,” “Tingyun Hall,” and “Illustrated Poems of Xiaolingjiu Mountain Hall.” These include 84 stone tablets from various dynasties in Jiaxing, as well as stone carvings such as Wu Daozi’s hand-painted “Guanyin Emerging from the Sea” from the Tang Dynasty and the Yuan Dynasty’s reconstructed Jiaxing Road Prefectural School Stele. These works were created by famous painters and calligraphers throughout history, including Wen Zhengming, Zhao Zhiqian, He Shaoji, Wu Changshuo, and Ren Bonian. At the octagonal pavilion at the eastern end of the five-bend corridor, there is also a stele measuring 2.8 meters in height and 1.3 meters in width, inscribed with Dong Qichang’s “Record of the Reconstruction of Minglun Hall at Jiaxing Prefectural School.” Carved in the 39th year of the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty (1611), the inscription features smooth, uninterrupted brushwork, an elegant and simple style, and a classic charm—truly a masterpiece.

To the east of the stele corridor lies the garden area, featuring structures such as Lingxiang Pavilion, Sanguo Pavilion, and a fishing pond. Sanguo Pavilion was built to commemorate the great Song Dynasty literary figure Su Dongpo’s three visits to Benjue Temple in Jiaxing. Originally located in Doumen Town, Xiuzhou District, it has been rebuilt in recent years. A stele in the southern part of the stele corridor preserves the record of the reconstruction of Sanguo Hall. Southeast of the stele corridor stands Lingxiang Pavilion, a structure built in the Ming Dynasty style. From its heights, visitors can gaze over the misty scenery of Nanhu Lake and catch a glimpse of the small island of Xiaoyingzhou, tucked among the green trees.

The Wenxing Bridge to the east of Lianxiu Garden is a three-arch stone ring bridge, built in the sixth year of the Tongzhi era of the Qing Dynasty. It spans 38 meters, is 3.5 meters wide, and has 50 steps. Between the north and south sections of the garden at the bridge’s base lies a Ming and Qing architectural street, where all the buildings have been relocated from downtown. The street is lined with shops selling Jiaxing’s famous specialties and tourist items.

Lianxiu Garden has three courtyards. The first is the entrance hall. The second is the waterside pavilion, connected to the third courtyard by a small bridge. The main hall of the third courtyard is a five-bay antique-style building that houses a memorial room for the famous painter Pu Hua (also known as Pu Zhuying), a late Qing dynasty painter and calligrapher and the founder of the Shanghai School. Along the 250-meter-long stele corridor in the garden, 94 stone tablets from various dynasties in Jiaxing are displayed. These include the “Qingyi Pavilion Carvings,” “Tingyun Hall Calligraphy,” “Illustrated Poems of Xiaolingjiu Mountain Hall,” the legendary stone carving of a Guanyin painting believed to be by Tang Dynasty artist Wu Daozi, and the Yuan Dynasty’s record of the reconstruction of Jiaxing Road Prefectural Government Offices. There are also masterpieces by Wen Zhengming, Zhao Zhiqian, He Shaoji, Wu Changshuo, and Ren Bonian, forming a beautiful scenic attraction.

At the octagonal pavilion at the eastern end of the five-bend corridor, there is a stele 2.8 meters in height and 1.3 meters in width, inscribed with Dong Qichang’s “Record of the Reconstruction of Minglun Hall at Jiaxing Prefectural School.” Carved in the 39th year of the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty (1611), the calligraphy features smooth brush strokes, flowing composition, an elegant and rustic style, and classic charm—widely considered a masterpiece. To the east of the stele corridor lies the garden area, where a double-story ancient building, Lingxiang Pavilion, with a hip-and-gable roof, stands prominently dignified. It echoes with the ancient Wenxing Bridge outside the garden, creating a harmonious image of the Jiangnan water town style. Between the northern and southern sections of Lianxiu Garden (the southern section is under construction) lies a street of ancient buildings.

Address: Yanhu Road, by Wenxing Bridge, Nanhu District, Jiaxing City

Type: Garden/Historical Architecture

Recommended Visit Duration: 20–40 minutes

Opening Hours:

Open all day

Nanhu Subdistrict: Nanhu Subdistrict, Nanhu District, Jiaxing City, Zhejiang Province

Nanhu Subdistrict is located by Nanhu Lake in Jiaxing, the birthplace of the Communist Party of China. Situated in the southeast of the urban area, it covers an area of 14.5 square kilometers and includes 10 communities and 1 administrative village, with a total population of approximately 48,000. The subdistrict's Party Working Committee oversees 17 grassroots Party organizations and has 1,902 Party members.

In recent years, under the leadership of the higher-level Party committee, Nanhu Subdistrict has focused on economic development, intensified efforts in attracting investment and project advancement, and attracted the establishment of knowledge-brand enterprises. With the renaming of Xiucheng District to Nanhu District, Nanhu... Detailed Information about Nanhu Subdistrict ++