The Garden of Leisure

The Garden of Leisure

The Garden of Leisure is located west of the South Gate of Daming Lake. It was constructed in the first year of the Xuantong era of the Qing Dynasty (1909 AD) under the supervision of Luo Zhengjun, the Educational Commissioner of Shandong, and was originally part of the Shandong Provincial Library. After the liberation, it became an independent courtyard and was incorporated into Daming Lake Park. The garden features the Jade Pendant Bridge, a stele engraved with the Qian trigram in small seal script by Hu Zanzong of the Ming Dynasty, and a half-wall corridor on the west side of the courtyard inlaid with the “Former and Later Admonitions to His Son” by Zhuge Liang.

The Garden of Leisure is filled with artificial hills, surrounded by ponds, shaded by green foliage, and adorned with blossoming plants and trees. It fully embodies the traditional architectural characteristics of “a pavilion in the south and a garden in the north,” as well as being hailed as “Jinan’s foremost model courtyard” and “the finest representation of scenery in Lixia.”

Situated on the southern shore of Daming Lake, the Garden of Leisure was built in 1909 by Luo Zhengjun, the then Educational Commissioner of Shandong, when he established the Shandong Provincial Library. Originally part of the library, it was later separated and allocated to Daming Lake Park. Modeled after the renowned Tianyi Pavilion in Ningbo, the garden gained considerable fame in its time for its elegant scenery and rich collection of books, earning the reputation of “the Pavilion in the South (Tianyi Pavilion) and the Garden in the North (Garden of Leisure).” The garden is filled with lush flowers and trees, rugged rocks, winding corridors, and exquisitely placed pavilions and terraces, including structures such as the Reading Hall, Mingyi Pavilion, and Haoran Pavilion. All are ingeniously designed, simple yet elegant, and have been praised as “Jinan’s foremost model courtyard.”

Admission

Free

Opening Hours

All day

Address: Within Daming Lake Scenic Area, No. 271 Daminghu Road, Lixia District, Jinan City, Shandong Province