This well-kept and fragrant garden, a short bus ride southwest of the city, is named for a 5th-century B.C. orchid plantation. It is full of stands of feathery bamboo and banana palms which surround temples and pavilions of fairly recent construction. Some house imperial stelae that eulogize the Master Calligrapher, others have rubbings of stelae showing the poets sitting on streamside rugs, and the walls of one structure are lined with copies of the Orchid Pavilion poems. The literary event itself has been re-created annually in March since 1984.
Down a zigzag path and across a bridge is a museum of calligraphy, where there are claims that calligraphy has a 6,000- to 7,000-year history. Samples on display begin with early rune-like characters.
The stream used for the drinking game meanders through the site, and there's a goose pond that would have pleased Wang Xizhi. Just at the start of the path to the museum are stone tablets on which you can use the brushes provided to practice your characters in water -- the ultimate palimpsest.
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| Hours | 7:30am-5pm | |
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| Location | About 14km (9 miles) and 30 min. southwest of town | |
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| Transportation | Bus: no. 3 from Jiefang Lu (¥1.50/20¢). 1st bus out at 6am; last bus back at 6:58pm | |
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| Prices | Admission ¥25 ($3) | |
