Yan Zhenqing Park

Yan Zhenqing Park

Yan Zhenqing Park is a national AA-level tourist attraction.

Originally named Lingcheng District People's Park, Yan Zhenqing Park is located east of Yancheng Street, west of North Government Avenue, south of South Park Road, and north of the Gijin River in Lingcheng District. Covering an area of 113 mu, its planning and construction are primarily aimed at commemorating Yan Zhenqing.

The park was formerly Ling County People's Park, which was built in 1981 and consists of the Cultural Expo Garden, Tang Dynasty City Wall Ruins, Children’s Playground, Roller Skating Rink, Botanical Garden, and Flower Greenhouses. For over 30 years, the People's Park has played an important role in showcasing the long history and splendid culture of the ancient county to the public and visitors, as well as providing a leisure and entertainment venue.

In early 2012, the new county Party committee and government, responding to public opinion, made the major strategic decision to "build a prosperous, high-quality, and happy Lingcheng District," and included the renovation of the People's Park as a key urban construction project. That year, the School of Architecture and Urban Planning at Shandong Jianzhu University completed the design plan. In May 2013, the renovation project officially commenced, undertaken by Jiangsu Yaotang Landscape Gardening (Group) Co., Ltd., and supervised by the Lingcheng District Urban Management and Law Enforcement Bureau. At that time, upon hearing the good news, I couldn’t contain my joy and spontaneously composed a humble couplet: “Renovating the old city, renovating the People's Park—people first, forging a Lingcheng District rich in humanistic charm, benefiting the present generation; constructing new scenery, constructing the Zhenqing Park—sincere forever, highlighting the peerless charm of Ande, achieving glory for a thousand autumns!”

The design style of this park is distinctly different from that of Dongfangshuo Park. To draw an not entirely accurate analogy: seen from above, if Dongfangshuo Park is like a majestic and orderly chessboard, then Yan Zhenqing Park is like an exquisite and elegant traditional Chinese painting. Centered around one of the "New Eight Scenic Spots" of Lingcheng District—"Ink Aroma Through the Ages"—the park adopts a landscape structure of "one axis, two rings, three zones, and four scenes." It organically connects seven functional areas: children’s play zone, citizens’ leisure zone, waterside sightseeing zone, Zhenqing memorial zone, city wall sightseeing zone, senior activity zone, and garden management zone. With flowers blooming in three seasons, evergreen foliage in all four, varying heights and forms, and ever-changing views with every step, it blends natural landscapes with historical culture. Everywhere exudes the charm of the prosperous Tang Dynasty, complementing Dongfangshuo Park and reflecting a new urban construction concept full of—Tang elegance and modern flair.

The park closely revolves around the theme of “Ink Aroma Through the Ages,” using distinctiveness as its criterion. Drawing inspiration from the literary styles of “Feng (Airs), Ya (Elegance), and Song (Odes),” it uses anecdotes from Yan Zhenqing’s governance and love for the people in Pingyuan Commandery, his resistance against the An Lushan Rebellion, and his writing of the “Dongfangshuo Painting Praise Stele” as narrative threads. It closely integrates the expression of Yan Zhenqing culture and the historical context of the ancient county with the leisure needs and spatial characteristics of modern urban residents.