Li Garden, located in the Qingqi Village in Wuxi City, is one of the major scenic spots in Wuxi of China. It lies by Li Lake which is a park of Taihu Lake and covers an area of 8.2 hectares.
Li Lake, formerly known as Wuli Lake, is an inner lake in the northeast of the Taihu Lake Lake. The Li Garden, which extends into Li Lake, is an old brand park in Wuxi. It has the style of Jiangnan gardens. It is famous for its waterscape. Thin and narrow long lifts, small bridges, and long corridors stand on the water. Peach blossoms bloom in March and April, and lotus flowers bloom in June and September, just like a garden on the water.
Legend & History
From 1927 to 1936, Li Garden was built on the basis of the original Qingqi Eight Scenic Spots by the Li Lake, and later it was expanded several times.
It is said that Fan Li who was a prime minister of the Yue State in Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC - 476 BC) was very meritorious in helping the king to conquer another state. However, he has decided to live in privacy with Xi Shi (one of the Four Beauties in ancient China) after the big success was achieved. They lived in this area and boated in Li Lake. In order to commemorate Fan Li, the lake was named after his name. However, the garden was named after the lake.
What to see
Li Garden is surrounded by water on three sides. You can see green hills in the distance, and at close range the dike, long corridor, and rockery. The scenery in the garden can be divided into three sections: Man-made hills in the middle section, the scenic spots such as long dike and Four Seasons Pavilions in the west section and abundant spots including Spring and Autumn Pavilion and long corridor in the east section.
In the middle section, man-made hills were piled high in various shapes and styles. Some are sharp and angular, of which some are purely magnificent. There is a stone path which is wide in some sections but narrows in others, also are bright in some sections but obscure in others. Walking along the path can be just like being in a maze. The man-made hills are endowed with more vitality by the lake. The two seem to form a whole unit and bring us a great enjoyment of nature's beauty.
Four Seasons Pavilions are in fact four pavilions - Spring Pavilion, Summer Pavilion, Autumn Pavilion and Winter Pavilion. They were built all in the same style. The pictures of flowers in four seasons are painted on their pillars. Beside each pavilion, a special kind of flower was planted. Plum blossoms are planted beside the Spring Pavilion, and Oleanders are planted beside the Summer Pavilion. Sweet-scented osmanthus can be found by the Autumn Pavilion and Calyx canthus by the Winter Pavilion. Therefore, tourists can enjoy beautiful flowers here in any season.
Spring and Autumn Pavilions are three stories high, with the eaves cocked upwards. The pavilion gained its name for it is relation to Fan Li and Xi Shi who lived in the Spring and Autumn Periods. The name causes people to imagine something about the ancient time and the sweet love story between them. The pavilion is the highest architecture in the garden, thus providing people a good place to overlook the panoramic view around the garden.
In addition, the exhibition of lotus from June to September is held in the garden, and night tours are also held here from July to September.
Travel Tips
Add: in the Qingqi Village in Wuxi City
Tel: 0510-85101380,0510-85133343
Opening Hours: 07:00-18:00
Admission Fee: CNY 75