The Nanjing Botanical Garden Memorial Sun Yat-Sen (), established in 1929, became the first national

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

in China. The original name, 'Botanical Garden Memorial Sun Yat-Sen', commemorated Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, the pioneer of Chinese democratic revolution. In 1954, it was renamed as Nanjing Botanical Garden Mem. Sun Yat-Sen,

Chinese Academy of Sciences The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS); ), known by Academia Sinica in English until the 1980s, is the national academy of the People's Republic of China for natural sciences. It has historical origins in the Academia Sinica during the Republi ...

. It is one of four major botanical gardens in China. The botanical garden is also known as Zhongshan Botanical Garden after the spelling of its name in pinyin.

Location

Located in the eastern suburbs of

Nanjing Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...

, with the

Purple Mountain Purple Mountain may refer to: China * Purple Mountain (Nanjing), a mountain in Nanjing, Jiangsu Ireland * Purple Mountain (Kerry), a mountain in County Kerry United States * Purple Mountain (Alaska), a mountain in Alaska * Purple Peak (Col ...

behind and the Qian Lake in front, the garden lies beside the ancient city wall of

Ming Dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peo ...

nearby the famous

Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum () is situated at the foot of the second peak of Purple Mountain (Nanjing), Purple Mountain in Nanjing, China. Construction of the tomb started in January 1926, and was finished in spring of 1929. The architect was L ...

. The gardens cover 1.86 square kilometers (186 ha). With luxuriant vegetation, lawns, hills and lakes, Nanjing Botanical Garden is a center for botanical research and science education, as well as a popular recreational attraction. CIty bus lines 20 and 315 stop at the front gate.

Collection

As a research center on central and northern subtropical floras of China, the garden has a living collection of about 3,000 species belonging to 913 genera of 188 families.Introduction of Nanjing Botanical Garden Mem. Sun Yat-Sen
Nanjing Botanical Garden Mem. Sun Yat-Sen. Retrieved on 05/03/2008 The Herbarium holds 700,000 sheets of botanical specimens. There are five research departments: Ornamental Plant Research Center, Medicinal Plant Research Center, Plant Information Center, Key Laboratory of Plant Ex-situ Conservation of Jiangsu Province and the Herbarium. Ten featured gardens (sections) have been constructed and opened. Nanjing Botanical Garden has set up an exchange program of seeds, plants, specimens and books with over six hundred organizations of more than sixty countries worldwide. The sister relationship of botanical gardens was established with the

Missouri Botanical Garden The Missouri Botanical Garden is a botanical garden located at 4344 Shaw Boulevard in St. Louis, Missouri. It is also known informally as Shaw's Garden for founder and philanthropist Henry Shaw. Its herbarium, with more than 6.6 million ...

, USA, which is the first of its type in China. Friendly relationships with the

UBC Botanical Garden UBC Botanical Garden, at the University of British Columbia, was established in 1916 under the directorship of John Davidson, British Columbia's first provincial botanist. It is the oldest botanical garden at a university in Canada. The garden me ...

, Canada and the Botanical Garden,

University of Tokyo , abbreviated as or UTokyo, is a public research university located in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1877, the university was the first Imperial University and is currently a Top Type university of the Top Global University Project b ...

, Japan have been set up. The garden is a member of the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of nat ...

(IUCN) Threatened Plant Committee and

Botanic Gardens Conservation International Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) is a plant conservation charity based in Kew, Surrey, England. It is a membership organisation, working with 800 botanic gardens in 118 countries, whose combined work forms the world's largest pla ...

Nanjing Botanical Garden, Memorial Sun Yat-Sen

Transportation

The garden is accessible north from

Muxuyuan station Muxuyuan (Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum) Station is a railway station on Line 2 of Nanjing Metro. It started operations on 28 May 2010 along with the rest of Line 2. Statistics It has a length of , a width of , a height of , and it covers an area of ...

() of Nanjing Metro Line 2. Take city bus 20 from this station. Or from the

Jimingsi station Jimingsi station (), is interchange station between Line 3 and Line 4 of the Nanjing Metro. It is named after Jiming Temple The Jiming Temple () is a renowned Buddhist temple in Nanjing, Jiangsu, China. One of the oldest temples in Nanjing, ...

() (Line 3) stops at the main entrance.

References

External links

Official website

Official website
{{Authority control Buildings and structures in Nanjing Botanical gardens in China National scenic areas Tourist attractions in Nanjing Research institutes of the Chinese Academy of Sciences