Top 10 Cities Nationwide for Private Gardens!

In this edition, we have comprehensively calculated the rankings of the top 10 cities nationwide for private gardens based on multiple dimensions such as the number of gardens in history and the influence of gardens. Which cities made the list? Let’s take a look together. 1st Place: Suzhou (Jiangsu Province) Suzhou is undoubtedly the champion. Historically, the state of Wu began building gardens during the Spring and Autumn period, such as Gusu Terrace and Changzhou Garden. The gardens developed through the Tang and Song dynasties and reached their peak during the Ming and Qing dynasties due to economic prosperity and the gathering of literati. At its height, Suzhou had over 200 gardens, with more than 130 recorded in the Qing dynasty alone in the "Suzhou Prefecture Gazetteer." Moreover, Suzhou gardens are the "textbook" of Chinese classical gardens. Specialized works like "Yuan Ye," "Shuo Yuan," and "Jiangnan Garden Records" all use Suzhou gardens as core examples. It can be said that to study classical gardens, one must start with Suzhou gardens. Representative works: Humble Administrator’s Garden, Lingering Garden, Master of the Nets Garden 2nd Place: Yangzhou (Jiangsu Province) "Yangzhou is famous for its renowned gardens, and the gardens are famous for their rockeries," showing that Yangzhou is also a stronghold of classical gardens. During the Kangxi and Qianlong periods of the Qing dynasty, the wealth of salt merchants and imperial southern tours jointly promoted garden construction. According to the "Yangzhou Huafang Records," there were over 200 gardens along the Slender West Lake during the Kangxi and Qianlong periods, with dozens of famous gardens in the city. However, most of these gardens were salt merchant gardens, differing in artistic conception from Suzhou’s literati gardens. It can be said that Suzhou gardens excel in "artistic conception," while Yangzhou gardens excel in "grandeur." Representative works: Ge Garden, He Garden, Xiaopangu 3rd Place: Hangzhou (Zhejiang Province) In terms of the number of private gardens alone, Hangzhou does not rank in the top three. The Southern Song "Mengliang Lu" records 107 gardens in Lin’an, but Hangzhou has West Lake, a millennium-old major attraction. The ten scenic spots of West Lake and the city’s layout of "three sides surrounded by clouds and one side by the city" are enough to place it in the top three. Hangzhou breaks the limitation of private gardens by integrating private gardens with large-scale landscapes. Historically, gardens around West Lake accounted for half of all gardens in Hangzhou, showing that Hangzhou is a city of gardens within gardens. Representative works: Guo Zhuang, Liu Zhuang, Xiling Seal Art Society 4th Place: Nanjing (Jiangsu Province) How can we talk about gardens without mentioning Nanjing? The Qing dynasty "Tongzhi Upper Jiang Two Counties Gazetteer" records over 170 gardens in Nanjing. Gardens like Xuyuan and Yuyuan are intertwined with the history of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and the Republic of China, often serving as witnesses to historical changes in literature. Historically, the royal gardens of the Six Dynasties capital, such as Hualin Garden, and private gardens from the Ming and Qing dynasties, such as those of the Xu family, together form the garden system. Among them, Zhanyuan is listed as the "Number One Garden in Jinling" in the "Jiangnan Garden Records," and its rockeries are praised in several specialized works. Representative works: Zhanyuan, Xiyuan, Yuyuan 5th Place: Beijing According to the "History of Classical Gardens in Beijing," there were 162 recorded private gardens in Beijing during the Qing dynasty, and if counting from the Liao dynasty, the number reaches 198, which is quite substantial. However, most of Beijing’s private gardens belonged to princes and royal family members and were mostly concentrated in the Qing dynasty, making their content somewhat uniform but with very high standards. For example, the Prince Gong Mansion combines the spacious grandeur of northern gardens with the exquisite details of Jiangnan gardens. Culturally, Ji Xiaolan’s Yuewei Cottage and Cao Xueqin’s Grand View Garden have become important carriers of literature and history. Representative works: Prince Gong Mansion Garden, Prince Chun Mansion Garden, Shao Garden 6th Place: Shaoxing (Zhejiang Province) In terms of city influence, Shaoxing does not make the top 10, but the number of gardens in Shaoxing historically is absolutely overwhelming. Qi Biaojia’s "Records of Gardens and Pavilions in Yuezhong" records over 290 gardens in Shaoxing during the Ming dynasty. "Shaoxing Traditional Garden Art" counts 391 traditional gardens in the Shanhui area (ancient Shaoxing) across dynasties, covering royal, private, and temple gardens. Unfortunately, not many private gardens have been preserved. Culturally, Shaoxing’s Shen Garden is a literary landmark due to the love story of Lu You and Tang Wan, who are repeatedly praised in more than ten poems including "Hairpin Phoenix" and "Two Poems of Shen Garden." Gardens like Lanting and Xiyuan are associated with cultural figures such as Wang Xizhi and Xu Wei and often symbolize reclusive culture in literature. Representative works: Shen Garden, Lanting, Xiyuan 7th Place: Wuxi (Jiangsu Province) The "Wuxi Garden Records" note that since the Southern Song dynasty, Wuxi had 102 ancient gardens and 33 modern gardens, totaling 135. Today, most Wuxi gardens are concentrated in the Xihui Scenic Area, with about 20 remaining, while the rest have disappeared. However, a single Jichang Garden is enough to get Wuxi on the list. For a century, Jichang Garden was passed down within the Qin family, preserving the precious, spacious, and natural style of Ming dynasty gardens. Representative works: Jichang Garden, Li Garden 8th Place: Changzhou (Jiangsu Province) Another city of a hundred gardens, the "Changzhou Famous Gardens Record" verifies that Changzhou had over 160 classical gardens, and the history of Changzhou gardens is also long. "Analysis of Changzhou Classical Gardens and Their Cultural Connotations and Values" states: "Since the mid-Ming dynasty, there has been a flourishing of gardens and pavilions, such as the Wu family’s Laihe Villa, Jianjia Villa, and Qingshan Villa." However, like Yangzhou, Changzhou also suffered from war damage. After the founding of the People’s Republic, many gardens were repurposed, leaving only four small-scale gardens. Representative works: Jin Garden, Yue Garden, Yi Garden, Wei Garden 9th Place: Chengdu (Sichuan Province) Few private gardens remain in Chengdu today, but its history is impressively long. According to "Chengdu Biography," there were nearly 70 gardens in Chengdu during the Tang and Song dynasties. The "Chinese Encyclopedia" records that ancient gardens in western Sichuan (centered on Chengdu) reached several hundred by the late Qing dynasty. These included both official gardens and literati gardens, with rich content. The gardens also incorporated western Sichuan residential styles, emphasizing natural wildness and the culture of poetry and wine. Representative works: Du Fu Thatched Cottage, Wuhou Shrine Gardens, Chongzhou Yanhuachi 10th Place: Guangzhou (Guangdong Province) In terms of quantity, Guangzhou has only about 30 private gardens. Historically, Guangzhou gardens only rose to prominence in the late Qing dynasty. However, it pioneered the Lingnan garden style, combining Chinese and Western elements with merchant culture, making Lingnan gardens very distinctive. Guangzhou takes the tenth spot. Representative gardens: Yuyin Mountain House, Ke Garden, Qinghui Garden, Liang Garden Cities with Many Private Gardens Not on the List: There are actually many other cities with numerous private gardens. Jinan in Shandong and Jiaxing in Zhejiang historically had 70 to 80 private gardens, Jining in Shandong had 47, Huizhou in Anhui had over 30, and others include Luoyang, Kaifeng, Dongguan, Taigu, Liaocheng, Weifang, Huzhou, etc., which are not listed here one by one. It should be noted that due to different statistical criteria among cities—some counting royal gardens, private gardens, temple gardens, or only famous gardens—there are discrepancies in the numbers. Therefore, the ranking is purely subjective. If you have different opinions, feel free to discuss them kindly in the comments.