Located within the Xihui Park, Jichang Garden in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, is also known as the
Qin Garden. With a history of over 500 years, this famed classical Chinese garden was maintained as
a national protected location of cultural and historical relics.
Sited at the foot of the Huishan Mountain, the garden features forests and rockeries in its
east whilst a water corridor can be seen in the west. A narrow pond called the Jinhui Ripple, due
to the fact that it contains numerous ripples also lies in the east. The pond features a square
pavilion with a roof with flying eaves and nine ridges. The pond is separated into two smaller
ponds by the Land Bridge and Qixing Bridge in the north. The pond charmingly reflects the
surrounding pagodas and hills through its glistening waters. Among the rockeries that surround the
pond, one rockery is nicely moulded to replicate the nine peaks of the Huishan Mountain.
The flow of water on a thin groove carved in the rock floor of the garden produces sounds
resembling the eight musical sounds of classical China. The sound becomes even more harmonic after
the spring rains.
The courtyard near the entrance is decorated with the intricate calligraphy of imperial
visitors who were fascinated by the garden’s alluring beauty. These enchanted visitors include two
emperors in the Qing Dynasty called Qianlong and Kangxi.
An imitation of the Jichang Garden was built in Beijing’s Summer Palace, as Emperor Qianlong
of the Qing Dynasty was so impressed by the design of the original. This duplicate garden was named
the Garden of Harmonious Interest.