Nanjing Botanical Garden, Memorial Sun Yat-Sen

Nanjing Botanical Garden is a large botanical institution in Xuanwu District featuring research facilities, specialized plant collections, lakes, hills, and open lawns near Purple Mountain. The spaces are arranged so visitors can move through different landscapes and encounter various plant types.

The institution was founded in 1929 as China's first national botanical garden to support research and plant collections. After wartime disruptions, it underwent major reconstruction in 1954 by the Eastern China Research Station.

The garden carries Sun Yat-sen's name and sits near his mausoleum, connecting the natural landscape with chapters of Chinese revolutionary history. Visitors can sense this bond while walking through the grounds.

You can reach the garden by buses 20 and 315 at the main gate or by taking Metro Line 2 to Muxuyuan station. Since the grounds are large, wearing comfortable shoes and allowing plenty of time for exploring makes the visit more enjoyable.

The collection contains about 700,000 dried plant specimens that show researchers how plants once looked and where they grew. This extensive collection expands through worldwide exchanges with hundreds of botanical institutions.