Geyuan Garden, Jiangsu, China

560726Nicky_11 5:00 PM Nov 24, 2013

Easily One of China's (and the world's) best gardens but go early
Along with Shou Xihu Garden. Also in Yangzhou, a must see. But go first thing in the morning and avoid weekends to have any chance of seeing this marvelous garden with any sense of personal space. There are a lot of people in China and they want to see this garden too. The only question is,why do Chinese need to go around in large packs headed by loud tour guides to see their own country while the occasional foreign tourist generally can get along quite nicely, enjoying nature by himself or herself. But if you make it to Yangzhou, and you should, enjoy this cities gardens and its laid back coffee shops, and bustling market streets, some of which are a bit hidden, so you have to walk around.

4Dorion 5:00 PM Aug 22, 2012

Beautiful garden in Old Yangzhou
This is one of the two gardens of Yangzhou, the other being Heyuan Garden. Parking and the entrance is at the North Gate, along East Yanfu Road (Yan Fu Dong Lu). The garden itself is quite small but remarkable - the representation of the four seasons, spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Especially enjoyed the rock cave formations which you can ascend and descend within - can be wet and slippery after it rains but cool nevertheless. The residence/living quarters give a glimpse of life in the past and are good as well. A tourist guide can be worth it here as there aren't really explanations of each area (not even in Chinese). There is a designated sightseeing path for you to follow although the directions are not always well marked and can be confusing - this sightseeing path would allow you to complete the garden in about 30 minutes if you're pressed for time. I recommend 1-2 hours if you're not pressed for time - sit down and enjoy the garden atmosphere. The exit is at the east of the Garden and if you want to head back to the parking lot/North gate, you have to walk through many shops and stalls selling various types of merchandise.