Shiyuan Garden

Shiyuan Garden, also known as Chen Family Garden, is located at No. 198, South Street, Jiangyin City, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, covering an area of about 2260 square meters. It was built in the fourth year of the Xianfeng reign of the Qing Dynasty (1854). The spatial layout of Shiyuan Garden is clearly divided into primary and secondary areas. The central landscape area is the main scenic area, surrounded by pavilions, corridors, and rockeries, emphasizing the principles of "achieving the natural order and creating natural interest." The main axis of Shiyuan Garden runs north-south, with an asymmetrical layout from east to west. The garden is compact from north to south and open from east to west, with clear boundaries on the north and south sides and open and transparent on the east and west sides. The main building of Shiyuan Garden is the "Water Flowing and Clouds in Pavilion," which faces the "Cloud Surrounding Mountains Pavilion" across the rockery, symbolizing clouds surrounding the mountains. Other buildings include the "Refreshing Pavilion," "Echoing Autumn," and "Easy Painting Pavilion." Shiyuan Garden has a dedicated "Shian Studio" for storing famous calligraphy and paintings from various dynasties. The garden is well-preserved, rich in the characteristics of Jiangnan gardens, and has been included in the "History of Modern Chinese Gardens." It is also listed as one of the top 100 private gardens in China, making it valuable for the study of modern Chinese history and garden history. On March 5, 2013, Shiyuan Garden was announced by the State Council of the People's Republic of China as part of the seventh batch of national key cultural relics protection units.