Dong Guifei Garden

Dong Guifei Garden

Located at the intersection of Weiwen Road and Bayi Road in the eastern part of Xuchang City, covering an area of over 50 acres, this leisure park themed around the Three Kingdoms culture was built around the historical site of Dong Guifei’s Tomb. The garden emphasizes ecology, culture, and modernity, integrating functions for relaxation, entertainment, and fitness. Key attractions include Dong Guifei’s Tomb, the Five Animal Exercises Park, Ruyi Lake, the Landscape Water System Square, Guifei Pavilion, and the Citizens’ Fitness Plaza.

Garden Name Stele: Situated at the main entrance, the stele bears the bold inscription “Guifei Garden” (Guifei Yuan). Nestled among green pines, the stele is a mother-and-child stone lying horizontally on the ground. When Dong Guifei was executed, she was five months pregnant, hence the installation of this symbolic mother-and-child stone as the garden’s name stele.

Dong Guifei’s Tomb: The tomb stands 10 meters high. Originally much larger, the tomb had gradually diminished in size due to lack of proper protection, long-term neglect, and nearby residents digging soil from it. Now, the tomb base is reinforced with bricks and stones, surrounded by white marble railings that offer effective protection. Walking around the railings, visitors can see carvings of phoenixes, cranes, swallows, rocks, and peonies on the panels. At the northern and southern ends of the tomb mound are ancient auspicious beasts—Pixiu and Tianlu—guarding the site, while the four celestial guardians—Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise—stand watch all around. The site is solemn, majestic, and spectacular.

Five Animal Exercises Park: Five tall pillars feature lifelike carvings of an ape, tiger, crane, bear, and deer. The surfaces of the pillars are engraved with health exercise poses from the Five Animal Exercises (Wuqinxi). Many locals imitate these exercises while relaxing in the park to improve their fitness.

Ruyi Lake: The lake is surrounded by rugged rocks and clear water. At its narrowest point, an ecologically designed wooden-style arched bridge divides the lake into two sections, forming a shape reminiscent of the Chinese symbol “Ruyi” (meaning “as you wish”), symbolizing wishes coming true. On the western side of the lake, a small wooden-style boat floats in the water, alongside a row of rocks to facilitate visitor access for playing in the water.

Guifei Pavilion: A beautifully crafted pavilion with a gray-tiled roof, red pillars rooted in the ground, a double-eave spire roof, and upturned eaves. Legend has it that during her lifetime, Dong Guifei enjoyed watching the sunrise from a pavilion near the imperial palace in Xudu and the sunset in the evening, hence it is also called the “Dawn and Dusk Pavilion.”

Water System Square: To the north of the square, three sets of corridors separate it from the Hua Tuo Five Animal Exercises Park. To the south, there is a three-tiered cascading waterfall forming a cliff, with water levels descending from high to low. Here, fountains surge, waves crash like snow, streams pour like a Milky Way, and waterfalls cascade like thousands of feet of silk, resembling pearl curtains and upside-down golden bells. At the highest point, a welcoming stone stands tall, arms outstretched, joyfully greeting visitors as they arrive.

Address: Intersection of Bayi Road and Weiwen Road, Xuchang City