Xinfan Donghu is located in Xinfan Town, Xindu District, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, and is a key cultural relics protection unit in Sichuan Province. It was excavated by the famous Tang Dynasty prime minister Li Deyu when he was the county magistrate of Xinfan, making it one of the two Tang Dynasty classical humanistic gardens in China with traceable remains. Covering an area of 18,000 square meters, about one-third of which is water surface. The garden is exquisitely designed, with a strict layout and elegant charm, encompassing almost all architectural forms and expressive techniques found in classical Chinese gardens.
There are more than 20 Qing Dynasty buildings such as pavilions and pavilions within the garden, nestled among ancient trees and famous flowers. The garden boasts beautiful landscapes and has been known as the ‘Famous Garden of Ancient Shu’ since ancient times. The main building of Xinfan Donghu, Huai Li Hall, was first built in the Song Dynasty and rebuilt during the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty. It features a flat-roofed green tile structure, surrounded by corridors, with a simple exterior and a refined interior, deeply embedding the Sichuan people’s admiration for Tang Xian Deyu’s historical achievements in ‘stabilizing the border, protecting the territory and people’, and maintaining national unity, with the ‘Huichang politics almost leading to a revival’.
