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Situated west of Wuxi, the Plum Garden (Meiyuan) is most famous for thousands of red plum trees which blossom in the spring and flowers planted there. The garden used to be part of a small private residence and a peach garden during the Qing Dynasty but has since been re-landscaped and expanded to cover more than 70 thousand square meters, housing over 5,000 plum trees and 2,000 plum bonsais. The oldest specimens are said to have lived for over 100 years.
While the trees serve to beautify the hillside of the garden, the hillside itself has become a unique feature because it is completely covered with the plum trees. Pavilions and terraces, together with a pagoda, are laid out with good taste on the premises.
There are numerous scenic spots in the garden, including the Tianxin Terrace, Plum Garden Carving Stone, Xiaoluo Float, Xiangxue Sea, Qingfen Chamber and the Huoran Cave. The Plum Pagoda, the highest point in the garden, offers a spectacular springtime view over the sea of red plum blossom and the Taihu Lake.
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