Taipei National Palace Museum Back Garden——Zhishan Garden🌸
#Taipei Itinerary
Hidden next to the National Palace Museum in Taipei, Zhishan Garden is a classical secret place modeled after a Song Dynasty garden. The park, which covers an area of about 1,600 square feet, has been designed with Wang Xizhi's "Lanting Preface" as the soul since its completion in 1985, integrating the artistic conception of calligraphy with garden art, becoming a "living art museum" that extends the museum to the outdoors.
🌿【Eight Great Scenic Spots: Entering the Poetic Landscape in Calligraphy】
The park has eight main scenes planned in accordance with the imagery of "Preface to the Lanting Collection". The most eye-catching is the Lanting - an octagonal pavilion with flying eaves that is a replica of the real scene in Shaoxing, Zhejiang. A plaque with "Lanting Qushui" is hung in the pavilion, and a couplet is engraved on the stone pillars that read "There are high mountains and steep cliffs here, and the sky is clear and the air is fresh today." When the orchids are in full bloom in spring, the subtle fragrance lingers, as if traveling back in time to the scene of a thousand-year-old literary gathering. The Qushui Liushang Scenic Area recreates the elegance of "cupboard follows the flow of water, poetry is inspired by the scenery" with a winding stream. Visitors can stop and watch, and imagine the elegance of the ancients composing poems by the stream.
Songfeng Pavilion and Waterside Pavilion embody the exquisiteness of Song Dynasty architecture: the former is hidden among the ancient pines, and the wooden components are not painted in bright colors, but only protected with tung oil, showing a simple and ancient charm; the latter is built by the pond, and you can lean on the railing to enjoy the fish playing on the lotus leaves and the mandarin ducks swimming. When the breeze blows, the sound of the copper bells on the eaves and the sound of the water waves are intertwined, adding a unique beauty of tranquility. Attractions such as the Washing Brush Pond and the Zhaohetingyingying Pavilion create an artistic conception of "painting in poetry and poetry in painting" through the combination of stacked stones, plants and flowing water.
🌸【Garden philosophy of beauty in all seasons】
The design of Zhishan Garden emphasizes "borrowing scenery" and "changing scenery with every step": looking in from the moon-shaped gate at the entrance, the green mountains in the distance and the curved bridge and lotus pond nearby form a far-reaching vision; strolling along the corridor west of the Biqiao, you can capture the garden scenery from different angles through the flower windows at every turn - enjoy the azalea in spring, the lotus in summer, the osmanthus in autumn, and the pine trees in winter. Each season has its own unique charm. Especially in autumn when the maple leaves turn red, the red leaves and the white walls and gray tiles complement each other to form a picture, making it a popular photo spot for photography enthusiasts.
📍【Visit Practical Information】
• Location: No. 221, Section 2, Zhishan Road, Shilin District, Taipei City (to the left of the National Palace Museum)
• Opening hours: 08:30-18:00 (last entry 17:30), open all year round
• Tickets: NT$30 (discount available with Forbidden City tickets)
• Friendly advice: Wear comfortable shoes as there are many stone steps and wooden plank paths in the park. It is recommended to combine this with a visit to the Forbidden City, viewing treasures in the morning and touring the park in the afternoon, to experience a cultural journey from "cultural relics to nature".
Zhishan Garden is not only a classical garden, but also a three-dimensional interpretation of oriental aesthetics. When you step on the bluestone slabs, see the flying eaves and the cloud shadows dancing together, and hear the flowing water and the singing of birds, you can understand the wisdom of the ancients that "gardens carry the truth" - it turns out that the most beautiful scenery is never far away, but in the ingenuity and poetry between every inch.
#TaipeiNational Palace Museum #Zhishan Garden #Song Dynasty Garden #Taipei Secret Place #Traditional Culture Experience