Dongpo Park, a national AAAA-level tourist attraction and an integral part of the Tianning Scenic Area, is situated on the southeast side of Hongmei Park in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province. The Grand Canal flows eastward around the park, forming a peninsula pattern surrounded by water on three sides. Covering an area of 4.3 hectares, the park is open free of charge from 06:00 to 18:00 throughout the yea.
The park derives its name from the fact that Su Shi, a renowned literary figure of the Northern Song Dynasty, visited Changzhou 11 times and eventually settled there. In the Southern Song Dynasty, a Yizhou Pavilion was built to commemorate him. During his southern tour, Emperor Qianlong inscribed poems four times and bestowed the plaque “Jade Board Elegance”. The park currently preserves historical sites such as the Yizhou Pavilion, the Imperial Stele Pavilion, and the Inkstone Washing Pool.
Dongpo’s Inkstone-Washing Pond
The Dongpo Inkstone Washing Pool is an immovable cultural relic located in Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province. It is situated within Dongpo Park and serves as a remnant of the Northern Song Dynasty writer Su Dongpo’s practice of washing his brushes and inkstones during his later years when he resided in Changzhou. As one of the heritage sites in the Changzhou section of the Grand Canal, the Dongpo Inkstone Washing Pool has been incorporated into the municipal cultural relic protection unit system. It is also connected to Su Shi’s cultural relics through the “Dongpo Travel” themed route, becoming an important node in the integration of cultural heritage protection and cultural tourism.
Yizhou Pavilion
Yizhou Pavilion is a municipal-level cultural relic protection unit in Changzhou, located within Dongpo Park on the south side of Yanling East Road. It is a Jiangnan garden built to commemorate the remains of Su Shi’s boat landing in the Northern Song Dynasty.
The Yizhou Pavilion is surrounded by water on three sides and built adjacent to the Grand Canal. It is exquisite and well-arranged, with a hall on the east, a hill pavilion on the west, a rockery and the Qianlong Stele Gallery on the south, a bonsai garden on the north, and a uniquely shaped Dragon Pavilion in the middle. The pavilions and towers blend together, forming a seamless whole
Peony Garden
The Peony Garden of Dongpo Park is located in the urban area of Changzhou, Jiangsu, known as the “Chinese Loong City”. It has collected over 6,000 plants of more than 60 varieties of peony from both domestic and international sources, as well as over 500 plants of more than 20 varieties of peony. It is one of the famous gardens with the richest collection of peony germplasm resources in the Shanghai-Nanjing region. Since 2010, the park has held a peony flower exhibition every April. The peony flower exhibition has become an important platform for promoting Dongpo culture and traditional culture. Today, the Peony Garden has become one of the distinctive landscapes of the park and an important place to admire peonies along the Shanghai-Nanjing route.
