Located in the southeast corner of Gulangyu Island in Xiamen City, Shuzhuang Garden can be listed as one of the must-see attractions when people travel to Xiamen Fujian. It is famous for its unique garden design, the legendary deeds of the original builders and unique heritage value.
Shuzhuang Garden Facts
Location: No.7 Gangzaihou Road, Gulangyu Island, Siming District, Xiamen City, Fujian province
Ticket Price: 30 yuan/person
Opening Time: From October 1 to May 31, 8:00-17:30 (no entry at 17:00); from June to September 30, 8:00-18:00 (no entry at 17:30)
Architecture Feature of Shuzhuang Garden
The use of Gulangyu’s natural terrain and landscape, with artificial buildings, constitute a beautiful garden scenery together. Shuzhuang Garden has the style of traditional southern Chinese private garden, combined with the local characteristics of Fujian province. Such a sophisticated design allows different styles perfectly integrate and complement each other.
The clever ideas of “scenery-hidden” and “landscape-borrowing” were thoroughly used in the Shuzhuang Garden. The garden faces the sea, while the sea is hidden in the garden through the unique spatial layout, forming a spectacular view of the garden on the sea and the sea in the garden. When tourists walk in the Shuzhuang Garden, they will inadvertently encounter a sea, which brings visual impact and spiritual shock.
Borrow the scenery of Sunlight Rock and Nantaiwu Mountain as a distant view for Shuzhuang Garden. This approach not only integrates the surrounding natural landscape into the garden, but also opens up the view of the garden. With the beautiful scenery of the sea as the background of Shuzhuang Garden, the whole garden seems to become a part of the sea. It gives visitors the illusion of being surrounded by the sea.
Story of Shuzhuang Garden
Shuzhuang Garden in Xiamen, built in 1913, is the only private garden in the world that blends mountains, sea and lakes scenery. The original owner of the garden was Lin Erjia, a wealthy businessman from Taiwan with the word “Shu Zang”. So the garden was named after the similar sound Shuzhuang. In addition, “Shuzhuang” also has the meaning of “the farm of the crop owner”. It represents Lin Erjia’s memory for his ancestors’ early experience of making a living by farming in Taiwan.
Lin Erjia’s father, Lin Weiyuan, built the Lin Family Garden, also known as Banqiao Garden, in Banqiao, Taipei, where Lin Erjia spent his teenage years. After moving to Xiamen, Lin Erjia became more homesick as he got older and decided to build a garden on Gulangyu Island modeled after Banqiao Garden.
The Lin family donated Shuzhuang Garden to the Xiamen City Government in 1956. After renovation, it was opened to the public the following year. The general layout of the Shuzhuang Garden has been preserved well basically.
In 2008, the Shuzhuang Garden in Gulangyu Island and the Banqiao Garden in Taipei became the sister Garden. Although separated by an ocean, the two gardens witness the ups and downs of life together for generations of the Lin family between mainland China and Taiwan.
What to See in Shuzhuang Garden
1. Canghai Garden and Bushan Garden
The Shuzhuang Garden’s two main parts, the Canghai Garden and the Bushan Garden were built in 1913. “Canghai” implies bringing the mountains and waters into China’s embrace and never letting them be separated by the enemy again. “Bushan” means making up for the deficiency of natural scenery with artificial buildings. And it implies that the country is in turmoil and broken and in urgent need of repair.
The design concept of Canghai Garden is to combine the spectacular seascape with the garden. The main landscape of Bushan Garden is the rockery, which imitates the natural mountain scenery by stacking artificial rockery.
2. 44 Bridge
It is a popular spot in the Shuzhuang Garden. It’s named after the owner of the garden who was forty-four years old when he built the bridge. There are gates under the bridge that bring seawater into the garden. It forms the three areas of the sea, the outer pool and the inner pool, as if the sea was hidden in the garden. The bridge is winding and visitors can see some pavilions and fishing platforms at the turns.
Attractions Nearby Shuzhuang Garden
- Sunlight Rock: It is the highest peak on Gulangyu Island, with unique natural scenery and rich historical relics. You can also visit the Zheng Chenggong Memorial Hall and Qin Garden in the Sunlight Rock scenic area.
- Gulangyu Island: With a history dating back to the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), Gulangyu Island is not only known as the “Garden on the Sea” for its natural beauty, but also as the “Island of Music” for its various cultural activities such as music festivals.
