Travel Notes from Hebei: Baoding's Gulianhua Chi
On April 15, 2023, at noon we got off at Gulianhua Chi, had dumplings nearby, and after lunch entered the scenic area. Actually, we had been here before and hadn't planned to revisit. Originally we intended to go to the Mancheng Han Tombs, but since they were closed, we had to change our plans and came here instead.
Gulianhua Chi, originally named Xuexiang Yuan, is one of the Eight Scenic Spots of Shanggu in Baoding, known as Lianyi Xiayan. Located at No. 244 Yuhua West Road, Lianchi District, Baoding, Hebei Province, it was first built in the 22nd year of Emperor Taizu of the Yuan Dynasty (1227). The total area is 24,000 square meters, of which the water surface is 7,900 square meters. Gulianhua Chi is a classical garden that combines garden, temporary palace, and academy, possessing the beauty of both northern and southern Chinese gardens. Its notable feature is the pavilions built around the water, excelling in waterscapes and named after the lotuses. The garden contains ancient structures such as Chunwu Slope, Zhuojin Pavilion, Pianliu Cave, Guanlan Pavilion, Luye Tiqiao, Hongzao Slope, Zaoyong Hall, Junzi Changsheng Hall, and Shuidong Lou, along with the graceful Wanhong Bridge, Quqiao, and a white jade bridge built in the Yuan Dynasty. These are interspersed among rockeries, exotic stones, woods, and lotus ponds, forming a beautiful picture where 'the lake contains scenery, and the scenery holds poetry.' The scenic spots are organically combined, preserving Gulianhua Chi's style of being small and exquisite, with rippling blue water embracing the ethereal. The layout is meticulous, with mountains, water, towers, terraces, pavilions, halls, corridors, and waterside pavilions arranged in a picturesque disorder, earning the nickname 'Penglai in the City.' Gulianhua Chi not only has the charm of an imperial temporary palace garden but also integrates the styles and essence of both northern and southern Chinese garden art, vividly reflecting the period characteristics of gardens from the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, achieving a harmonious unity of profound philosophy and perfect form in gardening art. On June 25, 2001, Gulianhua Chi was announced by the State Council of the People's Republic of China as one of the fifth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.
The scenic area is not large; it takes only an hour to walk through it all. Because we had to catch a train, we came out after half an hour. We took bus No. 4 to the train station, picked up our luggage at the hotel, and boarded the K1526 train at 2:26 pm to Bazhou South Station, arriving at 3:50 pm. The South Station is quite far from the city center, with only bus routes 1 and 8. Route 8 would have been closer to our booked hotel. When we got off, we saw a bus No. 8, but its doors were closed. A taxi driver said buses run only once an hour; we thought he was just trying to get passengers. Seeing that everyone got off and boarded bus No. 1, we had no choice but to take it as well, even though we had to walk about a kilometer after getting off at the Administrative Center stop. Later we found out that Bazhou's buses had mostly stopped running due to financial losses; the few still operating had very long intervals, so taking a taxi was more reliable than waiting for a bus.
By 5 pm we finally arrived at the Home Inn in Bazhou, where a standard room cost 113 yuan and included breakfast for two.
