Ruins of Anlan Garden

Ruins of Anlan Garden

The ruins of Anlan Garden are a protected cultural heritage site of Zhejiang Province.

The ruins of Anlan Garden are located in Chenyuanli, Lixin Group, Yanguan Village, in the northwest corner of Yanguan Town, Haining. To the west and north, they border the ancient city wall, while to the south originally stood Anguo Temple.

Commonly known as Chen Garden, its earliest form can be traced back to the Southern Song Dynasty. In the fourth year of the Jianyan era (1130), Prince Anhua Wang Hang was granted a residence in Yanguan, where he built this garden. Starting from the early Yuan Dynasty, the garden gradually deteriorated. In the twenty-fourth year of the Wanli era (1596), playwright and Deputy Minister of the Imperial Clan Court Chen Yujiao redesigned the water features and rockeries on the site of the former Wang family garden, creating a new landscape. In the eleventh year of the Yongzheng era of the Qing Dynasty (1733), Grand Secretary Chen Yuanlong acquired the site and renamed it "Suichu Garden." During the Suichu Garden period, the garden covered over 60 acres, with water bodies taking up nearly half the area, continuing the water-centric layout style of the previous Yu Garden. Major structures within the garden included Huánbì Hall, Jìngguān Studio, Tiānxiāng Dock, Yàngyuè Pavilion, Cìxián Hall, Jiǔqū Beam, and Shí'èr Tower, making it the crown jewel of gardens in western Zhejiang. In the twenty-seventh year of the Qianlong era (1762), Emperor Gaozong visited the garden during his southern tour and stayed there, bestowing upon it the name Anlan Garden. Upon returning to Beijing, he also renamed Sìyì Study House in the northern part of the Kunming Lake in the Old Summer Palace as Anlan Garden, slightly modifying the scenic area to replicate the main attractions of Chen’s Anlan Garden. From then on, the fame of Anlan Garden spread far and wide. In all three subsequent southern tours by Emperor Qianlong, he made stays at this garden. Each time the Chen family renovated the garden, they expanded its area to 100 acres and added more than 30 new scenic spots and structures. During the Taiping Rebellion, Anlan Garden suffered severe damage.

After undergoing many vicissitudes, by the late 1950s and early 1960s, the remaining ponds, shoreline stones, and several large rockery fragments of Anlan Garden were excavated and sold off almost entirely. The rockeries were leveled, ancient trees vanished, ponds silted up, leaving only a Ming-era zigzag bridge and a small pond. The ruins of Anlan Garden are the only surviving remnants of Ming Dynasty garden architecture in Haining and hold significant importance for the study of ancient gardens and the history of the Chen family of Haining.

In January 2011, it was announced as part of the sixth batch of cultural heritage protection units of Zhejiang Province.

Yanguan Town: Yanguan Town in Haining is a prime destination for viewing the Qiantang River tidal bore and boasts rich historical and cultural significance. In the past, most visitors came to Yanguan to see the “Silver Dragon Tidal Bore” of the Qiantang River. Nowadays, besides tide watching, many also visit the “Prime Minister’s Mansion Style Street,” a thousand-year-old street that recreates the charm of ancient times. The newly built “Prime Minister’s Mansion Style Block” is located on Xiaodongmen Straight Street in Yanguan, centered around the thousand-year-old Qing Dynasty Prime Minister’s mansion, “Chen the Elder’s Residence.” This ancient street stretches 600 meters from east to west and features structures such as the Chen the Elder’s Residence, Yang the Military Minister’s Residence, and the former home of Zheng Xiaocang... More details about Yanguan Town++

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Protected Cultural Heritage Sites of Zhejiang Province