Meiyuan Garden (Wuxi)

Introducing Meiyuan Garden (from Jschina.com & Wikipedia)
The Wuxi Meiyuan Garden (Plum Garden) is the first garden in China to be named after a flower. Built in 1912, the garden features nearly 10,000 plum trees and a variety of bonsais and is known as one of the best flower scenic spots south of the Yangtze River. The garden was the old site of a house of Xu Dianyi who was a Qing dynasty scholar. In 1912 Wuxi Entrepreneur Rong Desheng the father of Rong Yiren purchased the land for the purpose of "Spread Fragrance to the World" and planted some 3000 plum trees. Because of the varieties of plum trees the place was named "The Plum Garden". Starting from Rong's family, The Plum Garden was called one of the three best places for appreciating plum trees in Jiangnan, together with plum trees in Mt. Dengwei of Suzhou and Mt. Chaoshan of Hangzhou.

Meiyuan Garden Fast Facts
• Chinese Name: Mei Yuan
• Best Time to Visit: All year around
• Recommended Visiting Hours: 1-2 hours
• Things to Do: Photography, Nature, Hiking
• Opening Hours: 08:00-16:30
• Entrance Fee: CNY 60
• Address: No. 13 Bianjiawan, Lingxi West Road, Binhu District, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province

What to expect at Meiyuan Garden

Attractions
The garden circles Rong's previous mansion and leans up against Mt. Longshan. Inside gardens the old owner Rong and nowadays Plum Garden management office set up Tianxin Stage, Xixin Spring, Qingfen Pavilion, Nianqu Pagoda, Zhaohe Pavilion, Xiaoluofu, Songbin hall, Huoran cave and Kaiyuan temple. The Nianqu pagoda was set up in 1930 for remembrance of 80th birthday of the dead mother of brother Rong Desheng and Rong Zongjing. It is the highest point of the plum garden and best place for watching blooming plum trees all over.

  

Flora
The Plum Garden is most famous for its many types of old plum trees, newly imported and planted Denmark tulips. As plum is the city flower of Wuxi, the annual Plum Festival is running from Feb 10 to March 25 in the Wuxi Plum Garden, which features a series of plum-themed exhibitions and cultural exchange activities. There are a total of 40 species of plum trees that can be found on the mountain and more than 4,000 plum trees spread throughout the garden. As spring approaches and the weather warms up, all kinds of plants are starting to bud. New leaves are sprouting from willow trees and pink and white flowers dot the parks and riversides. It's the perfect time to go out and enjoy the lively spring scenery.

How to get to Meiyuan Garden
• Meiyuan Garden can be reached by bus 2, 40, 52, 53, 72, 83, 87, 88, 89, 102, 131 and 158.
• Rent a car/bus from GGC to enjoy a hassle free private transfer from hotels in Wuxi to Meiyuan Garden.

Additional travel advice on Meiyuan Garden
• The vegetarian noodles at the restaurant of Kaiyuan Temple is recommended by many locals.