Another Friday is here, and we come your way with one of the most exciting and educative sceneries in Nanjing. This is the Nanjing Botanical Garden (Sun Yat -Sun). Established in 1929, this garden became the first Chinese botanical garden and remains one of the four major botanical gardens in China. It is also known as Zhongshan Botanical Garden.
Nanjing Botanical Garden is located in the eastern suburb of Nanjing, with the Purple Mountain behind and the Qian Lake in front. It lies beside the ancient city wall of the Ming Dynasty, near the famous Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum. The garden covers about 1.86 square kilometers (186 ha) with luxuriant vegetation, lawns, hills and lakes.
It serves as a center for botanical research and science education and is also a popular recreational attraction. The garden encompasses five research departments: Ornamental Plant Research Center, Medicinal Plant Research Center, Plant Information Center, Key Laboratory of Plant Ex-situ Conservation of Jiangsu Province, and the Herbarium.
Nanjing Botanical Garden has established an exchange program for seeds, plants, specimens, and books with over six hundred organizations of more than sixty countries worldwide. It is accessible at the north of Muxuyuan station (苜蓿园) of Nanjing Metro Line 2. From there, you can board the city bus number 20. Alternatively, if you are at Jimingsi station (鸡鸣寺) on Line 3, the bus stops at the main entrance. The garden opens at 9 am, making it an educational tourist attraction worth visiting.
