Zhan Garden, one of the five famous gardens in south of the Yangtze River, is considerded"the first garden of Nanjing". It used to be the mansion of Xuda, Zhongshan King of Ming Dynasty and the mansion of Yang Xiuqing, East King of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

Now, a museum of the Taiping Heavenly Kindom is established there to show the history from the very outset of this glory kindom untill its fading. Wandering in the garden, you'll see the lotus blossoming in the small pond, vines covering the antiquated wooden houses, stones designed in various complexes and the happy citizens plyting Taichi.

Jingmiao Tang is the main structure of the garden. Encircled by water and rockeries, the hall resembles a water pavilion. To its east, there is another strange Taihu stone called 'Xuelang Shi'. It is said that the three Chinese characters on the stone were carved by Su Shi, a great poet of the Northern Song Dynasty. There are countless hollows and wave-like stripes on the surface of the stone. Under the different lights, every side of the stone takes on a different appearance.

Standing on the south side of the hall, you can appreciate the South Rockery covered by colorful flowers and green trees. Although it is less than 33 feet high, the skillfully designed crags, waterfalls, valleys and stone caves make it look like a natural hill. The North Rockery is famous for its stone caves, such as 'Twisted Dragon', 'Lying Tiger' and 'Three Apes' which have been renowned since the Ming Dynasty. Additionally, the two rocks projecting over the water are first class examples among similar examples in any of Southern China gardens. The West Rockery, like a dragon winding its way over the horizon, boasts the pavilion 'Suihan Ting'. Around the pavilion, bamboos, pines and plums are scattered, making the pavilion both poetic and charming. These three rockeries, together with the crystal clear pools linking them with each other, form an amazing picture of this garden.