Tangan Garden

Tangan Garden

Tangan Garden is a cultural relic protection unit of Anhui Province.

Tangan Garden is located in Tangmo Village, 10 kilometers west of She County. Built in the early Qing Dynasty and renovated during the Qianlong reign, it was once the site of the Xu family’s literary academy. The garden gets its name from the rows of sandalwood and redbud trees planted along the stream embankment outside its gate. It is also nicknamed “Little West Lake” by locals due to the artificial lake within the garden that replicates scenery from Hangzhou. The lake was dug by a wealthy Xu family merchant from Tangmo Village in the early Qing Dynasty and features attractions such as Three Pools Mirroring the Moon, Jade Belt Bridge, Lingguan Bridge, Mid-Lake Pavilion, and White Causeway, all created for his mother's enjoyment. The entire Tangmo Village is praised as “a village living within a painting.”

Entering Tangmo Village from the east, you’ll find an octagonal stone pavilion and the Twin Hanlin Memorial Archway, both built during the Qing Dynasty. The pavilion has two levels, with open balconies on all sides and iron wind chimes hanging from its upturned eaves that tinkle in the breeze. It bears two plaques: “Cloud Path” on the west side and “Sand Dyke” on the east. To the left of the pavilion is a stream lined with centuries-old camphor trees, and to the right stands a small Five Grains Shrine beneath a quaint blue stone memorial archway. Just a few dozen steps west of the pavilion lies the famous Twin Hanlin Memorial Archway. Its magnificent architectural design and exquisite Huizhou-style stone carvings are rare among nearby archways. The archway was erected to honor Xu Chengxuan and Xu Chengjia, two brothers who both achieved the rank of Hanlin Academician in the Qing Dynasty’s Kangxi era. Made of stone, the four-pillared archway features intricate carvings.

Inside the garden is the Mirror Pavilion, the central highlight. Surrounded by water on all sides, it has a platform at the front. The pavilion’s inner walls are inlaid with fine marble slabs engraved with calligraphy by Su Shi, Huang Tingjian, Mi Fu, Cai Xiang, and Zhao Mengfu. Nearby flows the Tan Gan Stream, crossed by the Gaoyang Ancient Bridge. A short walk to the left leads you through a small bridge over flowing water, past quaint cottages where one can fish from the window or hear birdsong just by opening it—capturing the serene charm of a Jiangnan mountain village. Around the bridge are several Ming and Qing-era residences, forming a distinctive ancient architectural complex.

The main gate of Tangan Garden features a plaque, flanked by two couplets. One reads: “The stream flows on beyond years, the embankment trees know spring and autumn,” and the other: “Today’s sacred land is like Wangguangu, home to poets by Dingmao Bridge.” Inside the gate are two halls, their walls inlaid with the “Record of the Reconstruction of Tangan Garden.” Leading up to the stele is a white pebble-paved path, at the end of which sits a small shrine enshrining tablets commemorating the renowned Tang Dynasty officials Zhang Xun and Xu Yuan. Ascending the steps, you’ll reach the “Quegao Jingshe,” the garden’s principal structure. Spacious and grand, its upper corridor boasts an imposing atmosphere, while the lower corridor offers bright-windowed guest rooms adorned with hanging couplets. The area around the building is planted with various flowers and trees, accented by Huizhou-style potted plants, creating a refined and elegant ambiance.

Deep within the garden’s outer corridor, under the wall, stand five osmanthus trees whose canopies cast a cool shade. In the middle of the corridor is a waterside pavilion nestled beside a lotus pond. Its round arched entrance is inscribed with “Fragrant Flowers in a Cave Heaven,” and the couplet reads: “Buy wine from Shakou Shop, admire flowers atop the Waterside Pavilion.” On a fine summer day, invite a couple of good friends to lean on the railing, admire the glistening lotus blossoms, sip wine, and sing softly—it’s easy to lose all track of time. This is the “outer lake” of Tangan Garden.

Heading north from “Fragrant Flowers in a Cave Heaven,” you’ll come across a lakeside embankment with rippling waves and an arched bridge crossing over—evoking the charm of Su Causeway but on a more intimate scale. In the center of the lake sits the “Mirror Pavilion,” small yet exquisitely designed. The outer section resembles a cloud shape, surrounded by stone railings and waterside pavilions. Long couplets on the pillars vividly depict the four-season scenery of this beautiful mountain village and Little West Lake: “Peach dew heralds spring planting, lotus clouds cleanse the summer air, osmanthus perfumes the fragrant autumn, plum blossoms bloom bright against winter snow. In this remote place, time is forgotten—each season speaks through its blossoms.” At the entrance to the inner pavilion hangs a horizontal plaque inscribed with “Mirror Pavilion.” The pavilion walls are made of marble. Most treasured of all are the 18 stone tablets inlaid into the walls, featuring calligraphy masterpieces from the Song and Ming dynasties by masters such as Su, Huang, Mi, Cai, Wen, Zhu, and Dong. The works include regular, cursive, clerical, and seal scripts, all masterfully engraved—absolutely breathtaking.

Walking westward, you’ll find a stone bridge called “Luguan Bridge.” Beneath the bridge lies a deep green pool, and to the south are century-old trees that stretch in a continuous green canopy for about half a li, covering half the lake surface and the village of Tangmo. Truly, the phrase “a village living within a painting” is no exaggeration here.