Location: Domestic Section, No.11
Area: 917m²
Introduction:
1. Yushu Tower: It is originally located in Royal Prime Minister's Palace of Jincheng, Shanxi Province, boasting an inscribed tablet of “Wuting Village” and a couplet of “Arbors grow more lush in Spring while late-booming golden asters send out more aromatic fragrance in Autumn” written by Emperor Kangxi.
2. Memorial Archway in honor of merits and virtues: It is a landmark archway in Royal Prime Minister's Palace. It is a four-pillar and three-story archway with stone carvings. The patterns of auspicious animals are carved around the base while the patterns of dragon and phoenix are carved at the top of the archway. Moreover, four Chinese characters of “Zhong (冢), Zai (宰), Zong (总), Xian (宪)” (“冢宰” refers to prime minister in feudal China and “总宪” refers to left censor-in-chief in Censorate) are engraved right above the archway.
3. Character-carving: Six steles are inscribed with “Lian (廉honest and clean)”, “Jian (俭thrifty)”, “Zhong (忠loyal)”, “Qin (勤hardworking)”, “Xue (学learning)” and “Xiao (孝filial piety)” respectively, summarizing the noble morality of Chen Tingjing all his life long, the host of Royal Prime Minister's Palace.
4. Land inscriptions: A couplet of “a benevolent family cultivated nine descendants with Jinshi degree (Jinshi imperial examination) and six out of three generations honorably became members of the Hanlin Academy” is engraved on the land.
5. An “imperial edict” sculpture: In front of Yushu Tower is an imperial edict-shaped sculpture, on which “Royal Prime Minister's Palace” is engraved.
Layout of Shanxi Garden