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Checking into hotel gardens
June 30, 2009, Tuesday
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TWO exquisite gardens built by culture-loving merchants are now part of two gracious hotels where guests can experience their charms at their leisure. Chen Qianqing checks in. Two classical private gardens are now part of gracious hotels, the Xizi Hotel and the National Hotel of the West Lake.
Wang Garden
The garden, now part of the Xizi Hotel, was built in 1927 by a tea merchant from Anhui Province.
Also known as Pingshan Garden, it is in Nanping Hill near the West Lake, north of Leifeng Pagoda.
The merchant who built the garden, Wang Zixin, owned the Wangyutai Teahouse.
It is said that Wang Zixin was not the merchant's original name. The story goes that his fortune was built on ill-gotten gains. As he grew old, the merchant regretted his past and changed his first name to Zixin, meaning "reborn." The path leading to the garden was given the name Tanbai, meaning the "path of confession."
The garden is bounded on three sides by the West Lake and features pavilions, rocks, bamboos, trees and flowers.
The annual fall chrysanthemum show is held in the Wang Garden, attracting tourists from all over the world.
As the former residence of a tea merchant, the garden still retains its teahouse traditions. The tea shops inside sell Longjing Tea, the most famous tea in the West Lake region.
The garden also offers a tea-tasting room for tourists and displays and sells tea sets and items of tea culture.
The merchant's wife had a passion for the qin, a traditional zither, so Wang built a qin hall for her. It remains today. Instruments were made there and these qins were known as "Wang qin."
In the 1950s, the Wang Garden was renovated and became the Xizi Hotel, where many Chinese leaders stayed for business and vacations.
The No. 1 Building in the hotel was named after Chairman Mao Zedong. The writer Ba Jin is said to have considered the garden his second home.
Liu Garden
Liu Garden, now part of the Xihu State Guesthouse of the West Lake, was built as part of residence of a magnate in the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
The 36-hectare garden lies in the southwestern part of the West Lake region, south of Dingjia Hill.
Its builder, Liu Xuexun, was a juren, or a candidate who passed the provincial-level imperial examination, during the reign of Qing Emperor Guangxu (1874-1908).
On his way back to his home in Guangdong Province from Beijing, Liu stopped near the West Lake. He was enchanted by the scenery and decided to buy land and build a villa.
The garden was lavishly decorated with carved precious wood shipped from his hometown, Xiguan, in Guangdong. Wooden doors and windows bear inscriptions in Chuan-style calligraphy.
The buildings were furnished throughout in rosewood.
In addition to the garden, there are other popular scenic spots. On the northeastern side of Dingjia Hill stands a three-meter-high natural stone wall shaped like a banana leaf. Behind it stands a stone altar.
It's said that Li Wei, the governor of Zhejiang Province during the reign of Qing Emperor Yongzheng (1723-1735), always went to this spot to play the qin.
Wang Garden
The garden, now part of the Xizi Hotel, was built in 1927 by a tea merchant from Anhui Province.
Also known as Pingshan Garden, it is in Nanping Hill near the West Lake, north of Leifeng Pagoda.
The merchant who built the garden, Wang Zixin, owned the Wangyutai Teahouse.
It is said that Wang Zixin was not the merchant's original name. The story goes that his fortune was built on ill-gotten gains. As he grew old, the merchant regretted his past and changed his first name to Zixin, meaning "reborn." The path leading to the garden was given the name Tanbai, meaning the "path of confession."
The garden is bounded on three sides by the West Lake and features pavilions, rocks, bamboos, trees and flowers.
The annual fall chrysanthemum show is held in the Wang Garden, attracting tourists from all over the world.
As the former residence of a tea merchant, the garden still retains its teahouse traditions. The tea shops inside sell Longjing Tea, the most famous tea in the West Lake region.
The garden also offers a tea-tasting room for tourists and displays and sells tea sets and items of tea culture.
The merchant's wife had a passion for the qin, a traditional zither, so Wang built a qin hall for her. It remains today. Instruments were made there and these qins were known as "Wang qin."
In the 1950s, the Wang Garden was renovated and became the Xizi Hotel, where many Chinese leaders stayed for business and vacations.
The No. 1 Building in the hotel was named after Chairman Mao Zedong. The writer Ba Jin is said to have considered the garden his second home.
Liu Garden
Liu Garden, now part of the Xihu State Guesthouse of the West Lake, was built as part of residence of a magnate in the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
The 36-hectare garden lies in the southwestern part of the West Lake region, south of Dingjia Hill.
Its builder, Liu Xuexun, was a juren, or a candidate who passed the provincial-level imperial examination, during the reign of Qing Emperor Guangxu (1874-1908).
On his way back to his home in Guangdong Province from Beijing, Liu stopped near the West Lake. He was enchanted by the scenery and decided to buy land and build a villa.
The garden was lavishly decorated with carved precious wood shipped from his hometown, Xiguan, in Guangdong. Wooden doors and windows bear inscriptions in Chuan-style calligraphy.
The buildings were furnished throughout in rosewood.
In addition to the garden, there are other popular scenic spots. On the northeastern side of Dingjia Hill stands a three-meter-high natural stone wall shaped like a banana leaf. Behind it stands a stone altar.
It's said that Li Wei, the governor of Zhejiang Province during the reign of Qing Emperor Yongzheng (1723-1735), always went to this spot to play the qin.
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