Chengdu’s 40-Minute Escape: An 8 RMB Tang Dynasty Garden Filled with Osmanthus

Looking for a quiet half-day trip from Chengdu that won’t break the bank? Hop on a train at Chengdu West Railway Station and 20 minutes later you’re at Chongzhou Station. Transfer to Bus 110 and it drops you right at the gate. Step off, and the scent of osmanthus hits you before you even see the garden.

This is Yihua Chi (罨画池) in Chongzhou — an 8 RMB ticket gets you into a Tang Dynasty official’s garden that’s one of a kind. It’s the only Tang Dynasty government-office garden in China, home to the country’s only Lu You Shrine, and Chengdu’s only complete ancient Confucian temple. It’s a masterpiece of western Sichuan garden design and even served as a filming location for the 1987 TV adaptation of Dream of the Red Chamber.

Why It Feels So Peaceful

Walk in and the first thing you notice is the quiet. It’s not that there’s no one around — it’s that the sound gets swallowed up. Outside the walls, traffic and vendors are going full tilt. One wall later, it’s all gone.

Deep inside, sunlight slants through archways and corridor pillars, casting long shadows on the bluestone paving. Walking under the covered walkways, your footsteps slow down on their own.

The crape myrtles haven’t finished blooming yet, and the osmanthus has already taken over.

The Osmanthus Season

Come in through Wenmiao Street and you’ll find osmanthus trees in full bloom on both sides. When the wind blows, petals drift down like rain, carpeting the space between the grey tiles and red pillars. Walk further in and you’ll pass golden osmanthus, silver osmanthus, red osmanthus, and four-season osmanthus — their fragrances mixing in layers.

There’s an old saying: “When osmanthus falls, a noble person arrives.” Petals land on the bluestone paving, on the pond surface, on passersby’s shoulders.

The red osmanthus trees in front of Lu You Shrine are the thickest. Osmanthus fragrance above your head, osmanthus petals under your feet. The scent is so strong you can’t move. Standing under those trees, you just don’t want to leave.

Local insight: The osmanthus season here is short — usually late September to mid-October. If you catch it right, the whole garden smells like a perfumed cloud.

Lu You’s Two Years in Chongzhou

Standing in the osmanthus fragrance, you can’t help but think of one person: the poet Lu You, who lived here for two years.

He was 48 when he was transferred to Shuzhou — modern-day Chongzhou — as a deputy official. He stayed at “Yizhai,” a residence by the edge of Yihua Chi. At the time, he was a pro-war faction member, sidelined into a deputy post in Shuzhou. His ambitions were unfulfilled and he was frustrated. But he wrote poetry.

“Black gauze cap, white ramie robe, one bamboo cane — by Yihua Chi I walk against the evening wind.” Wearing his official cap, in white ramie clothes, leaning on a bamboo staff. By the pond in the evening breeze, walking slowly.

Later he left Shuzhou and returned to Jiangnan. In his later years he wrote: “The small pavilion east of Yihua Chi — autumn always makes me remember our secret meetings.” He only lived here two years, but remembered it for a lifetime.

The Confucian Temple and the Red Walls

Exit Lu You Shrine and turn into the Confucian temple. The fragrance drifts over from next door, settling on the red walls. In front of the Lingxing Gate’s red wall, golden osmanthus branches lean out — stand by the wall and you’ve got a perfect photo. The three-arch stone bridge over the Pan Pond is right there. On rainy days the bluestone glistens — great for hanfu or qipao photos.

The Pond, the Bridge, and the Tea Seats

Round the Confucian temple and the pond opens up before you. A three-fold covered bridge stretches across the water, with Yihua Pavilion and Qinhe Hall scattered along its length. The water is very still — occasionally a fish jumps, making a splash. There are tea seats by the pond. Order a bowl of gaiwan tea, sit down, and watch the koi swim.

The tea bowl is hot in your hands, the bamboo chair creaks. The wind passes under the corridor, carrying the sweet scent of osmanthus.

The pond is full of koi — wherever you walk, the fish follow. Kids feed them from the curved bridge, and the fish crowd over, splashing water. Drinking tea, watching fish, smelling osmanthus — half a day slips by just like that.

Pro tip: Bring mosquito repellent. And remember: safe travels, leave no trace.

What to Eat Nearby

If you get hungry, the garden gate opens right onto Xiaodong Street — just a 2-3 minute walk. Beef guokui, danhong gao (egg-baked cake), fried tofu, buckwheat noodles, toothpick snacks — the whole street is food.

A bowl of buckwheat noodles with bamboo shoot and minced pork topping is numbing, spicy, and fragrant. And if you’re in Chongzhou, you have to try the “Huaiyuan Three Treasures”: frozen cake, leaf-wrapped glutinous rice cakes, and tofu skin rolls.

Practical Info

• Address: Chongzhou Yihua Chi Museum, 54 Dadong Street, Chongyang Subdistrict, Chongzhou. About 40 minutes from Chengdu.
• Ticket: 8 RMB all-inclusive ticket covers Yihua Chi + Lu You Shrine + Chongqing Prefecture Confucian Temple. Free for under 18 and over 60; half price for students.
• Getting there: Take the high-speed train from Chengdu West Railway Station to Chongzhou Station (about 20 minutes), then transfer to Bus 110 which goes directly there.
• Route: Main gate → Chongqing Prefecture Confucian Temple → Lu You Shrine → Yihua Chi main lake → Bonsai Garden → Tea seats by the pond. Takes 2-3 hours total.
• Terrain: Mostly stone-paved paths, friendly for elderly and children.
• Supplies: Xiaodong Street is right outside the gate — beef guokui, danhong gao, fried tofu, buckwheat noodles, toothpick snacks. Must-eat local specialties: Huaiyuan Three Treasures (frozen cake, leaf-wrapped glutinous rice cakes, tofu skin rolls).

A Perfect Autumn Afternoon

As you leave, the sky has already darkened. The osmanthus fragrance is still there. The red wall of Lu You Shrine stands in the twilight, a branch of osmanthus peeking over the top.

Over 800 years ago, Lu You stood under this same wall, and the osmanthus probably smelled just like this. He lived here two years, wrote dozens of poems, then left and never returned. But the poems remain, the trees remain, and the osmanthus blooms every autumn just the same.

A breeze blows, and petals fall on your shoulder.