Hefei Botanical Garden

Hefei Botanical Garden

Hefei Botanical Garden is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

Hefei Botanical Garden was established in 1987. It is located on a circular peninsula on the southeast bank of Dongpu Reservoir in the western suburbs, west of Qingxi Intersection in Hefei, covering an area of approximately 70 hectares. The garden currently cultivates over 800 species of plants, totaling more than 2 million individual plants. The garden was planned and constructed under the guiding principle of combining traditional garden aesthetics with scientific content. It is the only multifunctional and comprehensive botanical garden in Anhui Province that integrates plant research, science education, sightseeing, and production.

Stepping into the botanical garden, you’ll find straight and wide paths lined with the city tree of Hefei — the magnolia. Further out on both sides are bodies of water, which make up one of the garden’s key specialized areas: the Water Scenery Garden. It is divided into southern and northern sections by the main road, but a platform on the road connects the two parts visually. Standing on the bridge and looking south, the water winds westward, with a row of large dragon claw willows along the eastern shore. Their slender branches naturally curve toward the water, and when a gentle breeze blows, they look like wisps of delicate smoke.

Walking along the lakeside path to the southeastern corner of the Water Scenery Garden, you’ll find a yellow-stone artificial hill, stacked with massive rocks without any visible mortar. The hill has hollows and narrow paths that twist upward. Near the top, spring water gushes out and cascades down to the northeast, creating shimmering ripples across the garden and making lotus leaves sway. This forms a lively flow of water moving eastward. After passing through an arched wooden boardwalk and a small spillway, the water flows gently and crystal-clear, kissing the rocks and winding through crevices down to a gravel beach before merging into deeper waters.

On the southern shore of the Water Scenery Garden, you’ll see vast lotus leaves and gracefully swaying blooms. You can stroll among the flowers or take a rest in the pavilions. Varieties of lotus here include Bingxin, Fendai, Yaorong Sanbian, Yulu Fen Zhu, Bilu Liuhong, Fo Lian Zuo, Tai Zhen Chu Yu, and Fairy Scattering Flowers — numerous types with diverse shapes and colors. Further south lies the Garden Plant Demonstration Area, where large sloped lawns are decorated with shaped plants, patterned arrangements, and specimen plantings, allowing visitors to appreciate the vastness of natural space and the beauty of plant forms. Between the blue sky and green lawns, flocks of white pigeons take flight and land, making you forget the hustle and bustle of the city entirely.

In the southwestern part is the Flower and Bonsai Garden, which serves both as a scenic spot and the garden’s production base for flowers and potted plants. To the west is the Bamboo Garden, featuring the Xiangfei Pavilion and Panda Rock. Strolling along the secluded winding paths and seeing the slender bamboos swaying in the breeze, you may feel the urge to play a tune on a guqin. In the northern half of the Water Scenery Garden, there is a small island with a pavilion called Lengxiang Ting (Fragrant Cool Pavilion), which reflects in the water together with Yuanxiang Xie (Distant Fragrance Pavilion) on the north bank. From time to time, colorful fish ripple the water surface, making the reflections dance amid the undulating waves.

A short walk westward leads you to the Osmanthus Garden. During the osmanthus blooming season, the garden is filled with the rich fragrance of golden osmanthus, silver osmanthus, red osmanthus, and four-season osmanthus, intoxicating and delightful.

Walking through the garden, you’ll come to a vast expanse of water. Not far away is an island, whose edge extends three dam-like causeways connecting it to the mainland, forming a triangular shape that encloses two water areas. A path on the middle causeway leads to the island.