<A> Hangzhou Botanical Gardens

Written April 24, 2006

It was a cool, mostly cloudy Saturday when a friend and I arrived at the Hangzhou Botanical Gardens. April 22nd, back in my homeland, is known as Earth day. A day to celebrate the wonders and joys of being a traveler on our Spaceship Earth. My friend’s name is Yang Yi, he comes from Xiamen (Fujian Province), but is currently a senior student at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou. We had met through the internet while I was investigating Hangzhou and it’s many various attractions. I had emailed him some comments on photographs taken of the Botanical Gardens and, surprisingly, he responded. When I told him that I was coming to Hangzhou to research the Botanical Gardens, he volunteered to be my guide.
We met at the gates of the campus. He brought me over to a place with many bicycles (no cars are allowed on the large campus of Zhejiang University) and told me that one of his friends would let me use his bicycle during my weekend stay. After touring the campus, we rode through Hangzhou to the West Lake. Our first garden we toured was called Qu Yuan Feng He (“crooked path through the windswept lotus garden”). I was impressed with the meticulous care that given to these grounds. The walkways were swept and clear, the grass was trimmed and well-maintained and the jia shan (false mountain landscapes) displays were mind-boggling. Many of the jia shan displays had displays alongside them that described the origin of the rocks and/or themes of that display.
We finally were at the main gate of the Hangzhou Botanical Gardens. I told Yang Yi that I needed to look at the map to decide which would be the best route to take to see the major highlights of this theme park. The sign outside of the front gate was bilingual, which was very helpful. There were, however, several grammatical errors in the English translation. After charting our course through the park we paid 10 Yuan at the gate and proceeded to enter the gates. Unfortunately, besides the two of us entering the gates there were several cars, tour busses and diesel-powered work trucks entering the gates as well. The road going into the gardens was a disgusting array of mud, rocks, Chinese men smoking cigarettes, blue work trucks and huge tour busses. There were many road and trail upgrades projects happening this day. In addition, the road entering these Botanical Gardens was leading to a cul-de-sac containing several Chinese restaurants.
After crossing several muddy traverses, we made it to the entrance of the maple and rhododendron garden. These gardens were founded in 1958, east of the Jade Spring. Within these gardens are 21 species of maple trees and 18 species of rhodendrons. Being that it was springtime, the rhododendrons were blooming in all there glory. There were many of the purple-fuschia varieties, white, red and yellow flowering rhodendrons planted in clusters around and beneath groves of maple trees. What impressed me the most, however, was the new growth sprouting on the red-leafed maples. So bright were the leaves that their color appeared a luminous, bright magenta. A color not available for neon or billboard displays. Yet all the more dazzling and wonderful. The red-leafed maples, when touched by the intermittent sunlight, appeared as lights decorating these gardens with a springtime glow.





After reading the review of Hangzhou Botanical Gardens in the TravelChinaGuide link, I was looking forward to seeing the “enjoying fish jumping at Jade Spring” display. When we arrived at this Jade Spring, the sun had broke out from behind the clouds. The springs (2 of them) had various, large fish swimming in them. However, I didn’t see any pure water. The water in both pools was a murky greenish-brown and very similar to what I would consider “swamp water”. The fish were visible to about three feet in depth, a very far cry from the reputed statement, “Jade Spring, one of the many scenic spots inside the garden, is famous for its pure water”. Maybe it was a result of the construction, maybe the mismanagement of the parks resources, but based on its’ present condition the TCG review of Hangzhou Botanical Gardens should be changed to report correct information.
From Jade Spring we continue walking over rocky, muddy construction projects into the herb garden. There were many varieties of Chinese medicinal plants planted there. The herbery was well-shaded and had a musky odor eminating throughout. There were many trees providing ample shade to these gardens. One variety of trees found here is a close relative to the California Coast Redwood trees, the Chinese Sequioa trees. The groves of these Chinese Sequioa trees appeared still fairly young, but these towering trees will grow in this area for centuries. In addition to the trees, there were literally hundreds of varieties of herbs planted and labeled at ground level. The labels were showing the wears of time, but they were printed in Chinese and English and I learned about many species of plants that I had never seen before. This herbery would be an ideal spot for rest when the hot summer sun pervades Hangzhou. However, with all the construction going on in these grounds, I wonder if any solace is to found in this park.
Our last stop in the Botanical Garden was “Admiring Plum Blossoms at Lingfeng Temple”. It was a very long walk from the herb garden to get there. Along the way was an art museum that contained sculptures and prints from the famous Chinese artist Han Meilin. We stopped inside to view some art work. How fabulous! This man is a master sculpture for wood, metal and even rock art displays. Also to my surprise is this man was chosen to compose the artwork for the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing. I learned about the 5 mascots (Bei Bei, Jing Jing, Huan Huan, Ying Ying and Ni Ni). Surprising that so much beautiful art would be on display inside of a Botanical Garden, but I have found China to be a place of many, many surprises. Once at The Plum Blossoms area, we walked past several groves of plum trees. There were also steep trails leading into lush, hilly forests. While sitting beside a pool, admiring the jia shan, a Chinese man carrying two bottles of crystal clear water stopped to cleanse his face. My friend Ying Yi asked him question for me in Chinese. “Where did you find such pure water”? His response was that he gathered it from a spring in a nearby hillside. I asked if we could try some. He agreed. The water was clear as distilled water and had a sweet, mineral taste to it. I approved rejoicingly saying, “This water is worth it’s weight in gold!”
With all of it’s construction and traffic going on, Hangzhou Botanical Gardens is still a place of wonder and beauty. Although this first trip had several disappointments found inside, I know that I will be going back to enjoy these grounds time and again.