The Turtle Garden in Xiamen: A gamut of knowledge and entertainment
Positioned beautifully in the southeast part of China, Xiamen is a stunning coastal metropolis better known as the Pearl on the East China Sea. Its soothing atmosphere and convenient facilities make it one of the most loved tourist destinations among local as well as foreign travellers.
Xiamen is a place with lots to see and do and absolutely any type of traveller will fall in love with the city and want to visit it again and again. Some of the finest places to explore in this magical city include Sunlight Rock, Ten Thousand Rocks, Tiger Stream Rock, White Deer Cave and much more. However, among all these attractions, the Turtle Garden holds a prominent place.
Turtle Garden is the brainchild of the phenomenal Tan Kah-kee. It is recorded that Tan Kah-kee spent a period of 10 years to build this unique and comprehensive masterpiece which is today a much loved tourist attraction. It is also recorded that 650,000 yuan was spent on constructing the Turtle Garden. The many different buildings and various carvings found here express Tan Kah-kee's passion and enthusiasm for tourism and teachings. This incredible site features ancient as well as modern teachings based on astronomy, geography, technology, science, art, culture, education, paintings, sculpture, calligraphy, plants, animals, agricultural as well as industrial productions. All these aspects are based on both local and international contexts.
The profound Turtle Garden is a gamut of knowledge and entertainment that comprises mainly of three areas. The main parts of the garden include Tan's Mausoleum, the Monument to Liberation and the portico. The typical Chinese style portico stretches to an area of about 50 metres and leads the way to four main directions. The Turtle Garden is home to 653 intricate carvings of which 58 are found on each side of the portico corridor. These 58 pictures mainly depict images of well known historical individuals and certain important aspects of their lives.
The 28 metre high Jimei monument to Liberation is considered the key building found in the intriguing Turtle Garden. This exceptional building represents the 28 long years of battle fought by the China Communist Party.
Another noteworthy feature of the garden is the turtle shaped burial place of Tan Kah-kee. The stone carvings that surround the tomb give a vivid idea of Tan Kah-kee's contribution in setting up various schools as well as his untiring dedication towards uplifting his motherland.
As a
About the Author:
Pushpitha Wijesinghe is an experienced independent freelance writer. He specializes in providing a wide variety of content and articles related to the travel hospitality industry.