ALTHOUGH Suzhou and Hangzhou are famous for their wintersweet gardens, you don’t have to travel out of Shanghai to appreciate the beauty of the seasonal flower.

Here are several sites for an inspiring outing close to home.

• Da Guan Yuan

Da Guan Yuan, or Grand View Garden, is named after the lush garden in the classic novel “A Dream of Red Mansions.”

In the novel, the garden was initially built to receive an official visit by the oldest daughter of the family, who became a royal consort. It was later turned into the residence for all of the main characters.

The garden in Shanghai was built in the 1980s by Dianshan Lake in Qingpu District. It was later redesigned to emulate the garden in the novel. A large part of the novel follows the daily lives of young women in the family, who spent a lot of time getting together for tea and poetry, set amid the various natural scenes of the different seasons. In winter, that meant wintersweet.

One of the most memorable chapters in the novel describes a winter gathering in which the young women compete by writing poetry on a branch of red wintersweet. The poems reflect the personalities of the different characters and also serve as prophecies for their destinies.

Da Guan Yuan is the largest wintersweet garden in Shanghai, with more than 40 species and more than 5,000 trees. The flowers bloom in an environment of hills, ponds and ancient-style pagodas.

 

Address: 701 Qingshang Highway

Opening hours: 8:15am-4:45pm

Admission: 60 yuan

• Guyi Garden

Guyi Garden was initially built by a retired government official in the 16th century and was renovated several times when it changed ownership. The garden was destroyed by war in the early 20th century. Local residents and the government renovated and expanded the old garden. Today it is a well-known local attraction.

The garden is best known for its lotus ponds and bamboo copses, but it also includes a wintersweet hall, with patterns of the flower carved on the wooden windows. Various types of wintersweet trees surround the structure.

Guyi Garden is close to the old streets of Nanxiang Town in Jiading District. It’s near the founding site of xiaolongbao, the famous pork dumplings. Just a few blocks from the gardens, one can indulge in freshly cooked dumplings.

 

Address: 218 Huyi Rd, Nanxiang Town

Opening hours: 6am-6:30pm

Admission: 12 yuan

• Gucun Park

Gucun Park in Baoshan District is the largest park in Shanghai, a profusion of greenery, flowers, sports areas and entertainment facilities.

The park is best known for its profusion of cherry blossoms in April, but before spring descends, the wintersweet commands the attention of the public.

The park has more than 2,000 wintersweet trees, mainly near the garden for birds. It is a great spot for bird-watching, and the sight of peacocks and ostriches is routinely a delight for families with children.

 

Address: 4788 Hutai Rd

Opening hours: 6am-6pm

Admission: 20 yuan

• Jing’an Sculpture Park

While many wintersweet sites are in the suburbs, Jing’an Sculpture Park is centrally located in downtown Shanghai. Amid the park’s many large-scale sculptures, visitors can enjoy a wide variety of wintersweet trees now in bloom.

 

Address: 128 Shimen No. 2 Rd

Opening hours: 6am-6pm

Admission: Free

• Xinzhuang Plum Garden

Xinzhuang, long a popular spot for enjoying wintersweet, is especially famous for rare green cultivars. The garden, which opened  last year in Minhang District, boasts over 1,000 wintersweet trees and has already become a new winter attraction.

 

Address: 688 Hongxin Rd

Opening hours: 5am-6pm

Admission: Free