Kezhi Garden
Dear visitors, welcome to Kezhi Garden, the jewel of the ancient water town of Zhujiajiao. I’m your guide today. Let’s step together into this century-old garden that beautifully blends East and West, past and present—and experience the rich cultural spirit of the Chinese tradition of “cultivating the land and cultivating the mind.”
We are now at Xijing Street in Zhujiajiao, Qingpu District, Shanghai. Kezhi Garden sits at the northern end of this old street. It is the largest and best-preserved private garden estate in the town. Construction began in 1912, the first year of the Republic of China, and took 15 years to complete, finishing in 1927. The garden covers an area of 96 mu (about 16 acres), and cost over 300,000 silver dollars—a massive sum at the time. For reference, a single silver dollar could buy 30 jin of rice, enough to support hundreds of families for a year.
The garden’s owner was Ma Weiqi, also known by his courtesy name Wenqing, a prominent local businessman. Beyond commerce, he was known for his charitable deeds—funding schools, building bridges, and establishing communal farmlands to help the poor. This is why Kezhi Garden is also affectionately known as the Ma Family Garden.
So where does the name “课植” (Kezhi) come from? The character 课 means studying, and 植 means farming. Together, they express the traditional Chinese ideal of ““studying while never forgetting to cultivate the land ”—a philosophy that has passed down for generations. This reflects the Confucian values of self-discipline, family care, and service to the nation. The name is not only the title of a garden, but a spiritual symbol of the Ma family’s values.
The garden is divided into two parts: Ke Garden, representing study and moral cultivation, and Zhi Garden, representing labor and farming. The Ke Garden serves as the residential and cultural area. Following the central axis, we’ll pass through a sequence of four halls: the Sedan Hall, Reception Hall, Houhua Hall, and Yinggui Hall, each separated by an open-air courtyard—forming a “four halls, three courtyards” layout typical of Jiangnan-style (south of the Yangtze) residences.
Later, we’ll visit the second part: Zhi Garden—the area once dedicated to farming, which originally took up two-thirds of the estate. Though only part remains today, you’ll still sense the idyllic, pastoral charm. The area once housed orchards—loquat, peach, persimmon—vegetable gardens, and large rice fields known as Daoxiang Village (“Fragrant Rice Village”). It is used for experimental farming. For example, the Ma family cultivated a strain of fine rice called Qingjiao Thin Rice, once famous in Shanghai.
Kezhi Garden is also unique in two ways. First, its fusion of Chinese and Western architecture. As a former foreign trader, Ma Wenqing was influenced by Western aesthetics. You’ll spot elements like European floor tiles, reinforced concrete, and arched doorways integrated into traditional Chinese buildings like the Library Tower and Welcome Hall. Second, he modeled parts of the garden on famous Jiangnan gardens such as Shanghai’s Yuyuan and Suzhou’s Lion Grove Garden. Features like the Nine-turn Bridge (or zigzag bridge) and Inverted Lion Pavilion were inspired by these classics.
In this way, Kezhi Garden beautifully combines the elegance of Jiangnan landscape design with the refinement of Western architecture—something truly rare in China.
As we prepare to exit the garden, please remember the deeper meaning behind the name Kezhi—to study diligently, and to cultivate the land with dedication. This garden is not just a scenic space, but a living cultural monument—a vivid expression of traditional Chinese values in the the Republic of China era.
