Orioles Singing in the Willows

Orioles Singing in the Willows ranks fifth among the top ten views of the West Lake. It is located in the eastern side of West Lake in Hangzhou Covering an area of over 20 square meters, it is near the city by the lake, being a large integrated garden with ornamental and entertainment functions. The attraction, Orioles Singing in the willows, is divided into Friendship, Wen Ying, Ju Jing, South Park four parts. The willows grow together with purple nanmu, cedar, magnolia, plum and other different trees and flowers. In Southern Song Dynasty, it is the largest imperial garden, called Ju Jing Garden. At that time there was a Huifang Hall and three houses and nine pavilions, and Liu Lang Bridge and Bachelor Bridge. It was named Orioles Singing in the Willows for oriole flying and crowing in the willows. When the spring comes, thousands of willows waving in the breeze like a waves in the sea; in shade depths, from time to time come the sound of orioles.

History
In Southern Song Dynasty, there are many places of interest here, such as bachelor harbor, Wen Shui Pavilion, Liu Zhou Pavilion, Ju Jing Garden, Qianwan ancestral temple, etc. In Yuan Dynasty, Jujing Garden renamed Scattered Garden (Sanjing Garden). In the south side of the area, there was a Muslim cemetery. It was said that Wealthy Merchant A Laoding, constructed mosques in Hangzhou and he was buried here after he died. So this area was also called Muslim cemetery. To Qing Dynasty, Kangxi toured southwards and made the ten views of the West Lake famous again.

After nearly forty years of continuous development and construction, the former Imperial Garden changed to a big public park for ordinary people to have fun. But it is still based on green willows and orioles singing. Along the main road there are thousands of willows. These weeping willows are from Tianjin. All these willows belong to rare species, almost extinct in the north.

Activities Orioles Singing in the Willows
In the southeast of the garden, it provides entertainment venues for resident. Outdoor stage was built and it becomes a perfect place for visitors to do morning exercise, spend leisure holidays and celebrate festivals. At summer night, it is a fantastic place to go, for there are a variety of activities, such as dance, drama, film and other activities. From time to time, there are various flower show carnivals and folk customs to attract tourists.

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(Attractions: West Lake, Lingyin Temple, Six Harmonies Pagoda, Hu Qingyu Traditional Pharmacy, China Tea Museum, Wuzhen Water Town)