The Garden of Proximity

　　The Garden of Proximity is situated within the Changzhou Hotel on Changsheng Lane. It was constructed during the Shunzhi era (1644–1661) of the Qing Dynasty by Yang Zhaolu, an imperial examination candidate who held positions such as provincial advisory official and Jiangxi Provincial Education Commissioner. In 1667, due to illness, he returned to his hometown and purchased a 0.43-hectare plot of abandoned land behind the Zhu Jing Tang (Classic Scripture Hall), his former residence. He excavated earth to create artificial hills and spent five years building the garden. Considering it “nearly a garden,” he named it the Garden of Proximity. Within the garden, the Xiyecao Hall (Western Wilderness Thatched Hall) serves as a venue for hosting guests. To the south of the garden stands the Jianyi Pavilion (Seeing-One Pavilion), in front of which rockeries are piled up to resemble a miniature mountain, and behind which a small terrace is built and planted with several varieties of peonies. Turning westward leads to the depths of a bamboo grove, named Yaolan Chengxing (Taking Pleasure by the Herbal Fence). To the left is the Tianxiang Pavilion (Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion), and to the right is the Anlewo Study (Peaceful Abode Study). Along the pond is the Deyue Pavilion (Moon-Appreciation Pavilion), a place for reading, composing poetry, and fishing. Turning northward, you will find the Qiushuang Pavilion (Autumn Refreshment Pavilion), surrounded by winding corridors. Further north lies the Jianhu Yiqu (A Bend of Mirror Lake). Meandering eastward, you pass the Xuzhou (Void Boat), enter the Rongxi Ju (Modest Abode), cross a small bridge to reach the Sangwu Pavilion (Three Phoenix Trees Pavilion), beneath which lies the Chuilun Dong (Fishing Cave), with uneven stone steps and lush ancient trees forming a secluded woodland resting spot. To the southwest, a patch of land is reserved as a chrysanthemum garden, in front of which stands the Sisong Pavilion (Four Pines Pavilion). To the left of the pavilion is the Yuyu Pavilion (Pavilion of Words Unsaid). The garden is planted with hundreds of trees of various sizes, comprising dozens of species, whose flowers bloom and fade in all four seasons. After the garden’s completion, Yang Zhaolu invited local painters such as Yun Nantian, calligraphers and painters from Changshu like Wang Shigu, and poets from Zhenjiang such as Da Chongguang to gather in the garden for refined literary events. Yang himself wrote the “Record of the Garden of Proximity,” Wang Shigu painted the “Picture of the Garden of Proximity,” Yun Nantian inscribed and carved the text in stone, and Da Chongguang composed a colophon (fragments of the original inscribed steles of the record and colophon still remain in the garden). The garden measures 80 meters in length from north to south and 64 meters in width from east to west, covering an area of 5,120 square meters. After Yang, the garden changed ownership many times. In the early years of the Tongzhi reign, it came into the possession of Liu Yichen, a local gentry member (style name Yunqiao, who served as Fujian Surveillance Commissioner). The Liu family carried out further renovations. By the 11th year of the Guangxu reign (1885), the garden was sold to Yun Yanqi (a descendant of Yun Nantian) for the price of 60,000 taels of silver. After renovation by the Yun family, it was renamed the “Tranquil Garden,” and was also commonly referred to as the “Yun Family Garden.”

　　The layout and construction of the Garden of Proximity inherit the style of the late Ming Dynasty, featuring cascading water reflecting hills and fully embodying the principles of landscape painting. It is one of the earlier-built and relatively well-preserved gardens in Changzhou. In the 1950s, the garden was successively used as offices by the municipal government and the municipal federation of trade unions. In 1964, the Changsheng Lane Guesthouse (renamed the Changzhou Hotel in 1981) moved into the garden. In the early 1980s, the municipal government allocated funds to renovate structures such as the Xiyecao Hall, Rongxi Ju, Tianxiang Pavilion, Deyue Pavilion, Qiushuang Pavilion, Jianyi Pavilion, and Chuilun Dong. The renowned painter Liu Haisu inscribed a replacement plaque for the “Xiyecao Hall” of the garden. Many celebrated literati frequently visited the garden and left behind numerous poetic exchanges. The garden originally housed many plaques, most of which were penned by master calligraphers. Today, 30 stone slabs inscribed with calligraphy by famous individuals are embedded in the eastern corridor wall. On March 25, 1982, the garden was designated as a provincial-level cultural relics protection unit.