Dai Zhuang Garden

Dai Zhuang Garden

Located within Rencheng District, Dai Zhuang Garden was originally the villa of Dai Jian (courtesy name Shiping), a renowned painter from the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, hence the name “Dai Zhuang.” It was later transferred to Li Shu, a local bureaucratic elite, who converted it into a garden and renamed it “Jin Garden.” Jin Garden was once honored as the “Earthly Fairyland” and ranked first among the eight most famous gardens in Jining.

In the fifth year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty (1879), Catholicism was introduced to Jining. The descendants of Li Shu sold the garden to German missionary An Zhita and Austrian missionary Josef Freinademetz. Later, Father Saint Josef Freinademetz raised funds from all sectors of society, and construction began on the expansion of Dai Zhuang Church. By 1926, it had over 1,000 rooms and hundreds of acres of land. At that time, Dai Zhuang Garden consisted of church buildings, Jin Garden, and the priests’ cemetery, among other sections. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, foreign missionaries and clergy returned to their home countries, and Dai Zhuang Garden was nationalized. It was subsequently used as a rehabilitation ward and sanatorium, and is now the Jining Mental Hospital. The “Jin Garden” has been well preserved. In 1992, it was designated as a provincial-level key cultural relics protection unit.

Among the church buildings, the main church is the central structure and the primary venue for religious activities. The main church faces east and is built with gray bricks and white joints, featuring round windows and doors in the Gothic architectural style, exuding a strong religious ambiance. The church has 30 rooms, supported by 18 vertical stone pillars, with a gray tile roof. A stone inscription dated “May of the third year of the Xuantong era” (1911) still exists and was renovated in 2001 with funding from the Catholic Church. The monastery is located west of the main church, also in the Gothic style, with two floors and corridors inside, totaling 85 rooms. The priests’ building is adjacent to the north of the main church, topped with red tiles. The bishop’s office is situated to the west of the priests’ building, featuring a front corridor with two stone inscriptions on either side of the door—one in German on the west and one in Chinese on the east—built during the Guangxu period. The nuns’ building is located east of the main church, designed in the flush-gable style, with a total of 125 rooms. There are also other auxiliary facilities such as dormitories, wards, bell towers, and schools.

“Jin Garden” is located to the northwest of the church. The entire garden has a compact layout and bears the characteristics of an imperial garden. The eastern part mainly features rockeries and wooded areas. The rugged rocks, winding paths, exotic flowers, ancient trees, and lush greenery create a serene atmosphere. Dominated by elm trees, the garden also includes dozens of varieties of ancient and rare plants such as ginkgo, coptis, juniper, wingnut, bodhi, zelkova, and old locust trees, many of which are over 200 years old. The western part is characterized by pavilions, terraces, and waterside structures. The five-room waterside pavilion is designed in the hip-and-gable style. There is also a hexagonal pavilion with a pointed roof, representing a typical example of southern Chinese garden architecture. The lotus pond covers four acres and is over ten feet deep. To the east, south, and north of the pond, there are small bridges connecting to the pavilions in the pond, creating quaint and exquisite scenes with winding bridges over rippling water. In the center of the lake stands a small pavilion adorned with carved beams and painted rafters, reflected beautifully in the water. On the eastern side of the garden is a moon gate inlaid with a stone plaque inscribed with the seal script “Tour the Scenery and Let Your Thoughts Roam,” written by Xia Daguan, a court painter and literary figure of the late Ming Dynasty.

To the north of the church lies the “Sacred Forest,” covering over ten acres and filled with lush pines and cypresses, numerous stone tablets, and rows of tombs. The tomb of Father Josef Freinademetz is at the center, with the graves of other priests arranged on both sides. Dai Zhuang Catholic Church served as the missionary center of southwestern Shandong and was also the headquarters of the “China Inland Mission” of the Catholic Church at the time, exerting significant influence both domestically and internationally.