Dongguan Keyuan Garden

Cultural heritage

Dongguan Keyuan Garden stands in the Boxia community of Guancheng, begun in 1850 and completed in 1864, first named Yiyuan (Garden of Intent) before taking its present name. Together with Qinghui Garden in Shunde, Yuyin Shanfang in Panyu and Liang Garden in Foshan it is one of the four great gardens of Qing-era Guangdong, and the best preserved of them, hailed as a hallmark of Lingnan garden art. It is now a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level (fifth batch) and a 4A scenic area. The garden fuses residence, reception hall, villa, courtyard and study into a single work of art, famed for its miniature refinement and intricate design.

Visiting: Entering Keyuan one finds pavilions and towers set among winding corridors and lush planting — the Bobeng Pavilion, Ketang Hall and Shuangqing Chamber are miniature gems; climbing the Yaoshan Pavilion, the layered layout of the whole garden and the Guancheng skyline beyond unfold at once, a quiet place to feel the Lingnan ideal of a garden "made by human hand yet as though by heaven."