Shuixi Manor

Shuixi Manor

Shuixi Manor is located in the southwest of Hongqiao District, on the southern bank of the South Grand Canal, roughly in the area between present-day Jieyuan Dike and Jieyuan Water Plant. It was built around the first year of the Yongzheng reign during the Qing Dynasty (1723), and got its name because it lies to the west of the Wei River (South Grand Canal). The manor boasts an exquisitely elegant natural environment and landscape, with scenery ingeniously integrated along the river. Its layout and design reflect a high level of garden artistry. The pavilions and structures within the manor are given poetic names such as Lan Cui Xuan (Veranda Embracing Greenery), Ou Xiang Xie (Lotus Fragrance Pavilion), Zhen Xi Lang (Streamside Corridor), Hua Ying An (Flower Shadow Hermitage), Shu Fan Tai (Sail-Counting Terrace), and Bo Yue Fang (Moon-Berthing Boat), all of which showcase a rich cultural heritage. Hearing their names and seeing their sights, one is reminded of a painting: “Suddenly free from worldly thoughts, as if strolling into a painting.” A poem praises it: “Tianjin is lovely—poetic and wine-fueled spirits soar. Elegant verses compose the ‘Gathering at Gu’, misty waves draw visitors to Shuixi Manor. Flowers and moonlight intoxicate through a thousand revels.”

Shuixi Manor was built by the wealthy salt merchants of Tianjin during the Qing Dynasty, the father-and-son duo Zha Riqian (1667–1741) and Zha Weiren (1694–1749). The Zha family originally came from Anhui but later moved to Haining in Zhejiang. After the Ming Dynasty established its capital in Beijing, the Haining Zha family expanded their salt business to the Beijing-Tianjin area and made advancements in official careers, becoming prominent and affluent figures in the capital, enjoying great prestige for a time. During the infamous “Wei Min Suo Zhi” literary inquisition of the Qing Dynasty, the Zha family also suffered a major catastrophe, but they continued their salt trade and remained wealthy. Facing the Wei River and backed by open countryside, Shuixi Manor enjoyed convenient transportation and a tranquil setting, covering a hundred acres with dense woods and expansive waters. The Zha father and son were erudite, cultured, and hospitable, hosting renowned scholars and literati from across the land. Poets and painters gathered in the manor, composing verse and creating art—“gatherings of the elite for feasting and recitation were a daily affair”—reflecting the thriving scene of literati from both north and south converging in Tianjin at that time.

Emperor Qianlong stayed at Shuixi Manor four times during his southern tours. His first stay was in 1748, which greatly enhanced the manor’s fame. In 1758, Zha Weiren’s younger brother, Zha Weiyi, built another garden to the right of Shuixi Manor, initially named “Jieyuan.” Later, Emperor Qianlong stayed there three more times (in 1771, 1773, and 1776). On one occasion, during the transition between spring and summer, the purple mustard flowers in the garden were in full bloom, filling the air with a delicate fragrance. Delighted, he personally named it “Jieyuan” (Mustard Garden). This is the origin of the place name “Jieyuan.” When Emperor Qianlong first stayed at Shuixi Manor, he was only 38 years old; by his fourth visit, he was already 66—an indication of his enduring affection for Shuixi Manor, which never faded even in his later years.

The Qing Dynasty scholar Yuan Mei, in his work "Suiyuan Shihua" (Remarks on Poetry from the Sui Garden), listed Tianjin’s “Shuixi Manor,” Yangzhou’s “Xiaolinglong Shan Guan,” and Hangzhou’s “Xiaoshan Tang” as the three great private gardens of the Qing Dynasty. By the Tongzhi era of the Qing Dynasty, the grounds of Shuixi Manor had shrunk, and its pavilions and terraces had fallen into disrepair. By the end of the Guangxu era, it was occupied by others, its plants trampled and relics vanished without a trace. In 1912, a water company was built on the site. The once-flourishing and vibrant Shuixi Manor no longer exists today.