Shuzhuang Garden

Shuzhuang Garden is located on the seashore at Gangzaihou on the south of Kulangsu Island. It is now a major cultural heritage site protected at the national level. Built in 1913, the garden occupies more than 14,000 square metres. Its name comes from the owner Lin Erjia’s style name “Shu Zang”. The original intention of the garden was due to the owner’s longing for his childhood home. The Shuzhuang Garden echoes the design of the Banchiau Garden in Taipei, the home of the Lin family, while integrating the features of the coastal environment of Kulangsu. It is divided into two smaller gardens, named the Canghai and Bushan gardens. Canghai implies that the lost land of China should be returned to its arms and not be trampled again. Bushan means to make up deficiencies in the natural scenery with man-made works, thereby implying that China’s sovereignty had been damaged and needed renewal. The Baroque-style rockery, the “Twelve Grottos” in the Bushan Garden was designed by a German gardener. In the history of modern Chinese garden construction, this is the only one example of gardening with one owner’s two gardens facing each other across the sea. It is now one of the state-owned scenic spots on Kulangsu Island. Its building is used as the Kulangsu Piano Museum, which displays world-famous pianos of different ages and regularly holds music and cultural exchange activities.