5. Xihui Garden

This garden is an open-air museum, exemplified by the Hui Spring and the Jichang Garden.

The Hui Spring was built during the Tang Dynasty and became well known in recent times thanks to popularity of the song Moon Reflected on the Hui Spring composed by the blind folk musician Hua Yanjun.

Hua plays the erhu (a kind of two-stringed cello) and beautifully captures the serene atmosphere of this tranquil location.

The Jichang Garden was constructed during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and is one of the finest examples of a classical Chinese garden.

Chinese rulers, such as Kangxi and Qianlong, both emperors during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), adored this garden and its surroundings.

Qianlong liked the garden grounds so much that he built exact replicas in the Summer Palace in Beijing.