Located in the south-eastern end of Jimei Town, the Jimei Turtle Garden attracts tons of tourists every year. Covering an area of 9,000 square metres, the garden’s design was conceptualised by Mr. Tan Kah-kee who also supervised the construction and completion of it.
Built during the 1950s and 60s the Turtle Garden is a mirror of his belief in parting knowledge by means of travel and amusement. The architecture as well as the 633 carvings in the gardens cover a wide range of subjects including geography, astronomy, agriculture, industrial production, science and technology, calligraphy, nature as well as culture. The subject deals with modern and ancient learning on these subjects not only from China but other parts of the world as well.
The park is essentially segregated in to 3 main regions; the Portico, the Monument of Liberation and Tan’s Mausoleum. A traditional Chinese style portico, the length of this section is 50 metres and it spans out in all 4 directions. On either side of the corridors the walls have carvings that depict the lives of historical figures. These 58 carvings are the highlight of the place. Outside of the portico are 291 carvings; 42 of it are sunken carvings, 20 shadow carvings and the rest relief carvings. The calligraphy ranges from Lucida handwriting, cursive to seal characters, creating a display of remarkable Fujian stone carving.
Walk through this portico and you will reach the Monument of Liberation standing 28 metres tall. The height symbolises the China Communist Party’s victory after 28 years of fighting. On one side of the monument is the inscription by Chairman Mao while the back of the monument features Tan Kah-Kee’s calligraphy.
The last piece which is Tan’s Mausoleum is the tomb of Tan-Kee. Shaped like a turtle’s shell, the cover of the tomb has 13 hexagonal bluestones put together. The hull has the character of the wind and the inner side depicts Tan-Kee’s life.
Many of such attractions are close to hotels in China. The various accommodation options and greater China hotels are run by renowned chains. Millennium & Copthorne Hotels China is one of them.
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.
