Chinese Garden replicates the classical northern Chinese imperial architectural style, built with carefully arranged plants, rocks, wood, water features and the integration of splendid architectural features like the twin pagodas, High-Rise Pagoda, pavilions, rockeries, arched bridges and tea houses, all in a small island in the middle of Jurong Lake.
It is conveniently located next to Chinese Garden MRT Station and connected to the adjacent Japanese Garden by a bridge.
The main attractions of this place are the mesmerizing greenery and the beautifully designed traditional Chinese architecture called the Yao - Yueh Fang or also known as Stone Boat, the Ming Hsiang Hsieh, also known as Tea house, the beautiful twin pagodas and the magnificent High-Rise Pagoda. With all these wonderful structures in the garden, they absolutely give colors and life to the overall setting of this awe-inspiring place.
The journey starts at the main entrance in the west of the garden. Here, you will be greeted by the two cloudy-grained marble stone lions guarding the main gates of the garden. Lions represent authority and fealty by Chinese that is why you often see them place at the entrance area.
Chinese Garden main entrance
As you step inside, you will find a fabulous bridge rising several feet high that spans across the sleeping lake.
The arched bridge is known as the 'Pang Hung Ch'iao' bridge or the white rainbow, 13-Arch Bridge that resembles the 17-Arch Bridge at the Summer Palace in Peking, China. Shorter it may be than the one seen in China this brilliant architecture sets forth a typically designed Chinese bridge and promises to captivate the visitors on any angle they wish to photograph it.
As you walk along the bridge, you will find a picturesque view of Twin Pagodas at the distance to your left.
In ancient Chinese culture, apparently the pagoda was used to store human bones by Bhuddhists. It was originally a simple tower located beside the temple. But with the brilliance of architectural skills incorporated with the traditional art building, the pagoda was developed into a striking architectural structure built with very intricate details of beautifully designed plums, pine and bamboo - chosen for good luck as well as balance of nature.
Walking along the bridge to your right is the scenery of a secluded Jurong Lake amidst the majestic deeply-colored green trees that had endured the passage of centuries.
Walking towards the main venue of the garden, you will be greeted by a typical scene in classical China - the acclaimed arch building - that makes it a popular spot for picture taking.
Inside the arch building are courtyards where in the middle you will find a koi pond known as "Fishes Paradise". The koi in the pond comes in every color and speckle you can imagine. It is known that the koi reigns supreme among cold water fishes kept in captivity and has long been venerated by the Chinese. "A story from Chinese folklore tells of an industrious koi which mustered all its energy and determination to swim up the Yellow River to the T'ung Kuan Rapids, where it was transformed into a heroic dragon. Hence the koi symbolises success through hardwork."
Exiting the courtyard is another attraction called 'The Live Turtle and Tortoise Museum", which exhibits different species of turtles and tortoises. This museum is courtesy of a father and daughter's love for collecting turtles and tortoises that eventually made their collection the largest in the world according to the Guinness World Records, with 3, 456 collections which includes 1000 live specimens, all housed in the museum.
The way you are led around by intriguing paths and tempting glimpses of future delights is indeed interesting. After the museum to your right, you will stumble upon the statue of the great Chinese philosopher, Confucius.
Confucius real named was actually Kong, but his disciples called him 'Kung-fu-tse', which means Kung The Master that later latinized into Confucius by the Jesuit missionaries. His philosophy is based on the virtues that are required for everyday living that include modesty, planning, respect, moral behavior, honesty and sincerity apart from common sense. He said that by adapting these values was the only way a human being could lead a good life.
Moving forward you will find a beautiful floating structure on the pool of water known as "Yao-Yueh Fang" or Stone Boat, a famous traditional feature of Chinese architecture. Here in Chinese Garden in Singapore, its style is based on the one found in Peking China, but with some modifications in the design and the materials used which make it more splendid and captivating.
Moving along you will see the 'Ming Hsiang Hsieh' or Tea House, a miniature structure that follows the style of the elaborately intricate and often excessively detailed, winding gallery at the Summer Palace in Beijing. It's definitely one of the wonderful thing you can find at the Chinese Garden.
A walk at the Bonsai Garden, around the lush lawns, dotted with artful bonsais, will quickly teleport you into a serene and calm realm. The Bonsai Garden is the largest such garden outside China. It has an extensive collection of 'pen jing', meaning miniature nature in a pot and also incorporates a Suzhou-style architectural structure. The beautiful landscape houses a collection of over 2,000 bonsais imported from China and other parts of the world.
Miniature Rocks
Water Feature
This is the bridge that connects the Chinese Garden to the Japanese Garden on the other island.
The most magnificent structure you will find, situated on the small hill in the Chinese Garden is the 'Ru Yun Ta' or the High-Rise Pagoda. Its design follows the style of Ling Ku Temple Pagoda at Nanjing.
Pagodas are essentially towers with multiple tiers, each one marked out by eaves and often with a finial, or decorated pinnacle.
The High-Rise Pagoda in the Chinese Garden offers a panoramic, 360-degree view of the entire garden, Jurong Lake and parts of Jurong high-rise residential buildings.
Below are photos of the beautiful sceneries you will capture standing at the top of the High-Rise Pagoda.
After spending some time at the High-Rise Pagoda, you can come face to face with the statue of eight legendary heroes namely, Lin Zexu, Zheng He, Wen Tianxiang, Yue Fei, Hua Mulan, Guan Yu, Qu Yuan and Kong Zi in the Ixora Garden. The statues have been relocated from the Sculpture Garden in Marina City Park in 2007.
After quite a generous learning from the eight legendary heroes, the journey continues till you stumble upon the Twin Pagodas. This is where the tour around Chinese Garden ends.
It was fun indeed strolling around Chinese Garden. I learned a lot and captured hundreds of interesting photos. I do hope you'll give Chinese Garden a stop when touring Singapore. It surely will make the most of your time.
