Baomo
Garden, located in Zini Village of
Fanyu District, covers an area of 5,000 square meters and combines Bao Zheng
Culture, ancient architectural art, and Lingnan Garden
in one. It was formed as an extension to the Bao Zheng Residence Temple,
which was originally established in order to praise Bao Zheng. The two brick
folk carvings in front of the gate have fine workmanship and reflect the
fairness of Bao Zheng. There are also many lime carvings, stone carvings,
pottery sculptures, padauk carvings, and traditional palace lanterns in Baomo Garden.
Baomo
Garden was built in the late Qing
Dynasty as an extension of the Temple
of Lord Bao located to
the east of the Garden. The Temple
itself was built during the reign of Emperor Jiaqing of Qing Dynasty (1644 -
1911 AD), to praise Lord Bao Zheng of the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279 AD) and his
qualities of incorruptibility and justice. The original garden was destroyed in
the 1950s. Reconstruction work began in 1955 and lasted for eight years. Large
and elegant, the rebuilt Baomo Garden is a good example of south China gardens.
Baomo Garden can be divided into many scenic areas and
sites. At its front gate is a grand and exquisite white stone archway. Inside
the garden, pottery sculptures, porcelain sculptures, brick sculptures, stone
carvings, and wood carvings can be seen everywhere. The most amazing piece is
the porcelain inverse relief “Qingming Festival by the Riverside”, which has been added to the
Guinness Book of World Records. Another example of this type of work is the
huge brick carving, Wall of Flowers and Birds. The bronze statue of Confucius
is exhibited in the Treasure Pavilion on Litchi Island
for visitors to worship.
The garden has a
lot of wonderful water features. Litchi
Scenery Bay,
Qingping Lake,
Baomo Lake and a 1000-meter-long river are
interconnected. They are glassy like mirrors and run all the time. Over 30
bridges cross these waters for visitors’ convenience. The most famous is the Purple Ribbon
Bridge over Qingping Lake.
It is a traditional 9-arch stone bridge carved with famous Chinese stories like
“The Romance of the Three Kingdoms (220 - 280 AD)” and “The Romance of the Sui
(581 - 618 AD) and Tang Dynasties (618 - 907 AD)”. Another attractive water
scene over Qingping
Lake is Zidong Boat. The
two-storey boat is 21 meters (69 feet) long, 6.8 meters (22 feet) wide and 8.7
meters (29 feet) high, constructed of reinforced concrete and decorated with
teak. The wood carvings and wood furniture on the boat are very beautiful. On its
first storey, visitors can drink tea and enjoy Cantonese music and operas.
Whenever you come
to Baomo Garden, there are green trees and
blossoming flowers. What’s more, the scenery changes as you walk. The colorful
rose garden, the fragrant lotus pond, the elegant orchid garden and gentle
bamboo grove delight not just one’s eyes but mood as well.
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