Jichang Garden
Coordinates: 31°34′55″N 120°15′58″E / 31.581863°N 120.266143°E
Jichang Garden (Chinese: 寄畅园) is located inside Xihui Park, east side of Huishan, east side of western suburban of Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, China. It is close to Huishan Temple. Jichang Garden is a famed Chinese classical garden in South China, and it was claimed as a national protected location of historical and cultural relics on 13 January 1988. Xiequ Garden (谐趣园) inside the Summer Palace and Guo Ran Da Gong (廓然大公) (or, Double-Crane House 双鹤斋) in Yuanming Yuan in Beijing both imitated Jichang Garden.
Jichang Yuan is also called "Qin Yuan" (秦园). The site used to be two monasteries, called "Nan Yin" (南隐) and "Ou Yu" (沤寓). During the Zhengde era (1506–1521) of the Ming dynasty, former director of Nanjing military department, Qin Jin (秦金), purchased monastery "Ou Yu" of Huishan Temple. Qin was a metropolitan graduate in 1493 and also the descendant of Qin Guan, a famous lyricist in the Northern Song dynasty. He expanded it on the basis of old monastery, upraising hills, excavating ponds, planting flowers and trees, building houses, and transforming it to a garden. He named it "Feng Gu Xing Wo" (凤谷行窝), or literally, "Peripatetic Nest of Phoenix Valley". A lot of ancient plants grew in the garden, and there lied a hummock in hind part. This hummock was uplifted in 1445 by the governor of Jiangnan, Zhou Cheng (周忱), in order to alter the geomancy of Huishan Temple. As the garden was founded, Qin Jin wrote a poem "Move to reside in the famed mountain at late age, build an eccentric nest for myself. Winding creeks run around lonesome stones, colossal pine trees foster greenish vines. Gliding birds were seen on the hilltop, few passengers were spotted in the secluded lane. Have a dream in melodious sounds of springs, what a fortune to listen to the fairy jingle." (名山投老住，卜筑有行窝。曲涧盘幽石，长松育碧萝。峰高看鸟渡，径僻少人过。清梦泉声里，何缘听玉珂。) After the death of Qin Jin, the garden was inherited by his family nephew Qin Han and his son, the treasurer of Jiangxi, Qin Liang. In the summer of 1560, Qin Han himself built another garden at the hillside of Huishan, also called "Feng Gu Shan Zhuang" (凤谷山庄), or "Villa of Phoenix Valley".
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