Shanghai Qu Shui Garden

Qu Shui Garden is located at No. 612 Gongyuan Road, Qingpu District, Shanghai. It was originally built in the 10th year of the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty. It is said that to construct this garden, a coin was collected from every resident in the city, hence it is also known as the 'One Coin Garden'. In the 49th year of Qianlong's reign, the land was expanded, ponds were dug, embankments were built, and rockeries were added, along with pavilions and towers. Over a period of more than forty years, the garden was completed with twenty-four scenic spots and more than thirty temples. Every rock and water feature, every pavilion and pagoda in the garden is designed to delight the senses. In the third year of the Jiaqing era, the garden was renamed Qu Shui Garden. The name was inspired by the proximity of the garden to the Dayingpu River and the phrase 'floating cups along the winding stream' from Wang Xizhi's 'Preface to the Poems Collected from the Orchid Pavilion'. The garden was destroyed by artillery fire during the Xianfeng era. Over a period of 20 years during the Guangxu era, the temples and gardens were successively restored, and new features such as the fish release pond and the Flower God Hall were added. In 1927, a rockery was renovated, and on top of the mountain, the Nine Peaks Pavilion was built, from which one can climb high and gaze far at the nine peaks of Song County. The park contains ancient and famous trees, including a hundred-year-old osmanthus.