Tianjin Dongli Park

Tianjin Dongli Park

Dongli Park is the first park in Dongli District, located between the Eastern Outer Ring Road and Fushan Road. To the south is Xianfengli Residential Area, and to the north is Fushanli Residential Area. Though not very large in area, the transplanted flowers, plants, and trees here are uniquely charming and particularly eye-catching.

Though it’s a small, square-shaped park accessible from all sides, it has a very beautiful main entrance. The main gate is situated on Fushan Road, facing southwest. Above the lintel is the park’s name, “Dongli Park,” inscribed by the renowned calligrapher Pu Zuo.

Once inside, your eyes are greeted by vibrant blooms and lush greenery — a truly breathtaking sight. During holidays, the scenery becomes even more splendid. At such times, other gardening organizations contribute seasonal potted plants, including woody and herbaceous varieties, as well as potted bonsai. The festive atmosphere seeps into people’s hearts and emotions, shining through the smiles of both adults and children — a wave of joy that infects you and me alike, making it hard to leave such a delightful place.

A few steps inside, you’ll come across a stone wall engraved with the Hundred Longevity Characters. The wall features various seal script versions of the character “寿” (longevity), one hundred in total. I’m not very knowledgeable about calligraphy, especially seal script, so to this day I still haven’t figured out who the artist of the Hundred Longevity Wall is. But the expressions between the characters can still be felt — those heartfelt blessings seem to say so much without using many words. At the four corners and center of the wall are also carvings of plum blossoms, cranes, deer, bamboo, ganoderma mushrooms, pine trees, and the god of longevity, which further reveal the intent of the designer and calligrapher. They wish us long life and happiness. I’m truly grateful for the seamless blend of garden design culture and calligraphic artistry, which stirs endless beauty and imagination.

Since undergoing pavement work, additional planting, and landscape renovation in 2004, the park now cultivates nearly 100 types of plants, including some relatively rare local species such as eucommia, ginkgo, paper mulberry, and the shade-loving plant clerodendrum trichotomum. In early summer, bright red fruits of flowering cherries hang abundantly on the branches; in golden autumn, hawthorns, figs, pomegranates, along with serene water lilies in the pond, gracefully upright lotuses, and swimming fish, all seem to herald

the news of harvest. Meanwhile, the vast expanse of evergreen bamboo forest, stretching west from the north gate to the greenhouse, also tells a story — that these southern-grown bamboos can still stand proudly even in the north.