Dongpo Park

　　Dongpo Park is situated by the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. Originally named Dongjiao Park, it is a Jiangnan-style garden that blends historical landmarks with natural landscapes. During the Southern Song Dynasty, the people of Changzhou built the "Yizhou Pavilion" here to commemorate the great Northern Song Dynasty literary master Su Dongpo, who visited Changzhou eleven times and once moored his boat at this spot. Emperors Kangxi and Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty constructed the Wanshou Pavilion temporary palace here during their southern tours and renovated the Yizhou Pavilion. Key attractions in the park include the Yangsu Pavilion, Bamboo Pavilion, Imperial Stele Pavilion, Dongpo Ink-Washing Pool, Dragon Pavilion, Imperial Wharf, Guangji Bridge, and Half-Moon Island.

　　Yizhou Pavilion is located in the eastern part of Changzhou city. Originally known as Dongjiao Park, it covers an area of 2.667 hectares and is a Jiangnan-style garden that fuses cultural heritage with natural scenery. In the Southern Song Dynasty, residents of Changzhou built the "Yizhou Pavilion" to honor the visit of the great Northern Song literary figure Su Dongpo, who once moored his boat here. During the southern tours of Emperors Kangxi and Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, the Wanshou Pavilion temporary palace was constructed here, and the Yizhou Pavilion was renovated. The original site of Yizhou Pavilion was called the Wencheng Dam. Legend has it that because Changzhou has always been a hub of literary talent, a dam was built on the ancient canal to divert the river in a wide bend eastward, preventing the city’s intellectual energy from flowing away. Su Dongpo visited Changzhou eleven times and eventually spent his final years there. However, he actually moored his boat here only twice: once in 1073, when he traveled from Hangzhou to Zhenjiang via Changzhou and spent New Year's Eve alone on his boat anchored in the outskirts east of the city, composing the poem “New Year’s Eve Moored Outside the City of Changzhou.” The other time was in 1101, when he returned to Changzhou from Hainan and stayed at the Sun family residence near Gutan Bridge. One day, feeling ill and stifled by the heat, he sought relief in the “fresh breeze and flowing water” to lift his spirits and clear his mind. In the middle of the night, he sailed his boat eastward along the canal and moored it here. Crowds gathered on both banks, drawing the attention of the entire city.

　　Address: No. 9, Yanling Middle Road, Tianning District, Changzhou

　　Type: Urban park, Historical architecture

　　Recommended visiting time: 1–2 hours

　　Telephone: 0519-88815005

　　Opening hours:

　　5:00–21:00

　　Ticket information:

　　Free admission.

　　

　　Su Shi (1037~1101)　　Su Shi (1037–1101), also known as Su Zizhan, with the courtesy name Dongpo Jushi, was a native of Meishan in Meizhou (now part of Sichuan). His family had a strong literary tradition — his grandfather Su Xu loved reading and was skilled in poetry, and his father Su Xun was a master of classical prose who provided careful guidance to both Su Shi and his younger brother Su Zhe. His mother, Lady Cheng, was well-educated and principled, once telling young Su Shi the story of Fan Pang from the Book of the Later Han · Biography of Fan Pang to inspire him with the virtues of historical figures. By the time Su Shi left Sichuan for the capital at age 21, his knowledge and cultivation were already quite advanced. Su Shi was remarkably erudite and open-minded, thriving in the integrated Confucian-Buddhist-Daoist intellectual atmosphere of the Northern Song Dynasty. Su... More+