| Zuibaichi | |
|---|---|
| 醉白池 | |
 | |
 | |
| Type | Urban park |
| Location | Songjiang District,Shanghai, China |
| Coordinates | 31°00′09″N121°13′45″E / 31.0024°N 121.2292°E /31.0024; 121.2292 |
| Created | In theSong Dynasty |
| Status | Open all year |
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Zuibaichi (Chinese:醉白池;pinyin:Zuì Bái Chí;lit. 'Drunken Bai Pond') is aChinese garden inShanghai's suburbanSongjiang District that dates back to theSong Dynasty. It occupies an area of 5hectares and is one of the five ancient Chinese gardens in Shanghai, along theGuyi Garden, theYu Garden, the Garden of Autumn Vapors, and the Garden of Zigzag Stream.[1][2][3]
The garden was first set up as the private villa of Zhu Zhichun, aJinshi selected fromImperial examination. Its size was rarely enlarged for hundreds of years untilDong Qichang, a Chinese painter, calligrapher of the later period of theMing Dynasty, built several more ancient architectural complex on its original basis. In 1797, the garden began to be used as a foundling hospital until it was well repaired and reopened to the public in 1959.
The garden's name lies in the famous Chinese poetLi Bai. It is said that ifLi Bai was brought back to life and had a sightseeing here, he would certainly lingered on and forgot to return, just about drunk. Actually famous men of letters usually gathered together, making various poems on the fantastic landscape.
Drunken Bai Garden has an architectural style of Chinese traditional garden which was inherited from architectures inSuzhou: elegant pavilions, winding and zigzagging paves, carved beams and painted rafters. It was such a scenery of exceptional charm that it attracts an endless stream of tourists.
Meanwhile, luxuriant plants can be seen in a blaze of colors here, especially lotus flowers that are in bloom in summer. To the north of the pond stands an ancientcinnamon tree which is over 300 years old.
Sun Yat-sen allegedly held a speech in Xuehai Hall on December 27, 1912, during an inspection visit he undertook toSongjiang together withChen Qimei andDai Jitao . In this speech Sun addressed the further development of the newly foundedRepublic of China, the problems left over by theXinhai Revolution, and the education system. After finishing the address, Sun took a group photo with members of theTongmenghui inside of the hall.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)31°00′09″N121°13′45″E / 31.0024°N 121.2292°E /31.0024; 121.2292
