Jichang Garden and Huishan Old Town: An Elegant Miniature of Jiangnan Gardens

Jichang Garden sits at the eastern foot of Mount Hui in Wuxi, one of the finest hillside villa gardens of the Jiangnan region. Laid out in the Ming dynasty and admired by emperors, the garden even inspired a replica inside Beijing's Summer Palace. This guide explains its history, its water-and-rockery art, and how to combine it with Huishan Old Town.

Figure 1. Lakeside galleries by Jin Hui Yi, the central pond of Jichang Garden, with autumn trees and pavilions mirrored in the water—elegance distilled in the Jiangnan manner

The Story of Jichang Garden

Jichang Garden was first created in the Zhengde era of the Ming dynasty, when Qin Jin, a descendant of the Song poet Qin Guan, converted monks' quarters of Huishan Temple into a retreat named 'Fugue Hut in the Phoenix Valley'. Rebuilt in 1591 by Qin Yao, who had left official life disillusioned, it took its lasting name from Wang Xizhi's lines about lodging delight in mountain and water.

As the Wuxi municipal archives note, it is the only surviving Ming-dynasty classical garden in Wuxi and a national major heritage site, protected since 1988. Its name has stood, essentially unchanged, for more than four hundred years.

Water, Rockery and Borrowed Scenery

Jin Hui Yi and Bayin Jian

The garden centres on Jin Hui Yi, a long, narrow lotus pond. Along its west bank a yellow-stone rockery rises in the natural vein of the hillside, while a hidden spring is channelled through Bayin Jian, a 36-metre twisting rock brook; as the water tumbles it sounds like metal, stone and strings in concert, fusing sight and sound.

The borrowed pagoda

Jichang Garden is a masterclass in borrowing scenery. The dragon-glow pagoda on Xishan Hill, though outside the walls, is framed into the view, so mountain, pagoda, pavilion and tree reflections all gather in one pool. The result feels, as gardeners say, 'made by man, yet born of nature'.

Figure 2. The still mirror of Jin Hui Yi, with ancient trees, pavilions and the borrowed view of the Xishan pagoda gathering mountain and pagoda reflections in one pool

How Jichang Garden Reached the Summer Palace

The garden charmed two Qing emperors. Kangxi and Qianlong each made six southern inspection tours and visited on every one; Kangxi inscribed plaques, and Qianlong praised it above all Jiangnan sights. On returning to Beijing he had it drawn and replicated at the Summer Palace.

As the Beijing Daily explains, that copy was first named 'Huishan Garden' and later renamed Xiequ Garden. It survives today as a 'garden within a garden', while Qianlong's other Jiangnan copies have vanished, making Jichang Garden a rare bridge between Jiangnan and the imperial capital.

Visiting Huishan Old Town

Jichang Garden sits inside Huishan Old Town, where ancestral halls line the cross and straight streets beneath white walls and dark tiles. Stone memorial archways frame the lanes, and just outside the garden stand Huishan Temple and the famed Huishan spring. Wander the town's quiet alleys, sample local Huishan pastries, then step into the garden's pond.

The town itself rewards a slow walk. Concentrated clusters of Ming and Qing ancestral halls honour scholars, officials and local clans, their carved gates and courtyards preserved in a continuous historic quarter. Nearby, the ancient Huishan Temple and its spring sit quietly beside the garden, a reminder that this hillside has been a place of retreat and worship for well over a thousand years.

Practical tip: the old town streets are free, while the garden and temple sites carry a modest ticket. Mornings are calmest and best for the still pond; spring brings blossoms and autumn colours bring the rockery into its richest tone. Allow half a day for the garden plus town, and try Huishan's oil-dough snacks and sesame cakes from the lanes.

Figure 3. The Nine-Peak Green Screens memorial archway on Huishan Old Street, white walls and dark tiles on either side—a gateway to the old town that holds Jichang Garden

Planning Your Visit to Jichang Garden

The garden is a short taxi or bus ride from Wuxi city centre, and Wuxi itself sits about an hour by high-speed train from Shanghai. Pair it with a morning in the town and an evening cruise on the Grand Canal, or see how Wuxi's music tradition grew up around these same hills.

Few Jiangnan gardens pack so much history, such refined water-and-rock art, and an imperial connection into one small hillside plot. Take your time at Jin Hui Yi, listen for the Bayin spring, and you will understand why Jichang Garden has been beloved for more than four hundred years.