Te Garden

Te Garden

Te Garden is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction and a key national cultural heritage site under state protection.

“Te Garden” was the residence of the renowned patriotic democrat Xian Ying during the War of Resistance Against Japan. Located on the picturesque banks of the Jialing River in the southwest corner of Shangqing Temple, Chongqing, it was built in 1931, covering an area of about two to three acres. The estate features an elegant layout, rigorous structure, spacious and well-arranged living quarters, and a tranquil courtyard. Since Xian Ying’s courtesy name was “Tesheng,” his residence was named Te Garden.

During the War of Resistance, Chongqing became China’s wartime capital. Due to the convergence of historical trends, Te Garden became an important site for activities of the Chinese Communist Party and various democratic parties. It was the birthplace of the China Democratic League and the - Comrades' Federation, a historic witness to the implementation of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee’s Southern Bureau policy on the Anti-Japanese National United Front, and also a witness to the establishment and practice of China’s political consultation system. During his visit to Chongqing for negotiations, Mao Zedong paid three visits to Te Garden, meeting with leaders of the Democratic League such as Zhang Lan and other democrats to discuss state affairs.

In May 2008, the Te Garden China Democratic Parties History Exhibition Hall was established on the site of the former Kangzhuang Residence in Te Garden. In March 2011, the expanded China Democratic Parties History Exhibition Hall officially opened to the public. It is the only national first-class museum in the national - system, the first exhibition hall themed on the history of China’s democratic parties, and also a new cultural landmark of Chongqing, a historic and cultural city. By the end of 2017, the exhibition hall had received over 3 million visitors from home and abroad, fully leveraging its comprehensive functions in publicity, education, training, and research.

The expanded exhibition hall is grand and solemn, with a construction area of over 12,000 square meters and four floors of exhibition halls. It consists of historical displays from the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang, the China Democratic League, the China Democratic National Construction Association, the China Association for Promoting Democracy, the Chinese Peasants’ and Workers’ Democratic Party, the China Zhi Gong Party, the Jiusan Society, the Taiwan Democratic Self-Government League, the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, and China’s public figures without party affiliation. The exhibitions display over 3,000 historical photos, more than 1,000 historical documents and materials, and over 1,200 precious artifacts. Among them are the “Treasure of the Museum”—“Dynamics of CPPCC Member Mao Zedong in Chongqing,” the plaque inscribed with “Home of Democracy” by Feng Yuxiang, the handwritten manuscript of Fan Puzhai’s Diary, the manuscript of Wu Ran Poems and Essays donated by Hu Juewen’s family, and over 80 pieces of precious original cultural relics donated by descendants of Xian Ying. A collection of precious photos gathered from Taiwan and the United States are also displayed here.

In addition, more than 20 types of multimedia high-tech display methods such as three-dimensional holographic devices, human-computer dialogue, and multimedia information walls, as well as lifelike scenes, oil paintings, sculptures, and other artworks, combined with the integrated use of sound, light, and electricity, give the exhibition a wealth of information and diverse presentation formats. With high artistic and visual appeal, it has become the first exhibition hall in China to comprehensively showcase the formation and development history of the multi-party cooperation and political consultation system led by the Chinese Communist Party.

The exhibition hall has been successively named the “China United Front Traditional Education Base,” “China United Front Historical Research Base,” “Central Socialist College Teaching Base,” “China Democratic League Traditional Education Base,” “Jiusan Society Central Traditional Education Base,” “Local Characteristic Party Spirit Education Base,” and “Southwest University Graduate Ideological and Political Theory Course Social Practice Base.” The exhibition hall is a national first-class museum and a national AAAA-level tourist attraction. In May 2013, Te Garden was announced as part of the seventh batch of key national cultural heritage sites under state protection.

Visiting address: No. 35, Jialingqiao East Village, Shangqing Temple, Yuzhong District, Chongqing

Further reading:

· Seventh Batch of Key National Cultural Heritage Sites Under State Protection