Sounds of nature midst an urban landscape. Rizhao Botanical Gardens

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A belated Happy New Year to all you my dear readers. This entry is the first of the new year for me. It brings me to a special place within the city. The RiZhao Botanical Gardens in my opinion is a great place to visit. Even during the winter season like when I had visited it the first time. The Botanical Gardens is located on Haiqu road heading towards Wanpingkou. To say this place is unknown would not be true but to say this place is well known would also be untrue. I would say the knowledge of this place would be somewhere in the middle. Some know of it and some don't. This is the second in the list of hopefully 23 different sites around this city I hope to see before I leave.

I have noticed even in winter Rizhao has a milder climate than other places i have been too this far north. Maybe it has something to do with it being a coastal city. I don't know. I found that during winter it did diminish some of its natural beauty. But considering that I went in Winter its only natural that some of the zest one would see in Spring or Summer would be lost. Walking around this park I almost forgot that this was in the middle of the urban area of a city. As I said almost. Looking at the horizon in almost every direction I could see the skyline of Rizhao was apparent, but the sounds of traffic seemed like a distant humming of a far off thing. The tranquil nature of this place was a nice pace from the hussle and bussle of normal life.

I do plan on visiting this place again in the spring time. Hoping that during this time all the colours of spring will be out in full force as will the insect population. So far this beacon of solitude is a great place to find the beauty of nature within city walls. So I strongly suggest people go see this natural wonder. Its free to enter as well.

I also decided to write up a few of the signs that i saw in the Botanical Gardens. Yes i did take the pictures but I know that some people will not view all of them. So on one sign it gives a profile of RiZhao Botanical Gardens. It reads as such, "Rizhao Botanical Gardens is located to the west of Rizhao Olympic Water Park, neighboring Qingdao Road on the west, and Haiqu Road on the south. It spans 500 meters from east to west and 550 meters north to south covering an area of 24.6 Hectares. The park was first built in 1995, and renovated in 2010 and reopened to the public in June of 2011 after the renovations were completed.

With the theme to popularize the science of botany and build a leisure garden and a vivid botanical class for the citizens of Rizhao. With more then 1000 species of plants have been collected and placed here. Based on the location advantages namely, the south of the north, the north of the south, the garden focuses on collecting local plant species and to protect existing resources. A flower alley, a stream and cultural axis passage divides the garden into different functional areas. There are 17 special gardens including a rose garden, a plum garden, a bamboo garden, a rock garden, a farmer orchid and a wetland garden that graces the botanical garden. The support services include the visitor center, science classrooms, tearooms, other low-carbon energy saving buildings and a childrens park.

Encircled be blue water, the whole garden showcases a kaleidoscope space with sophisticated terrian. As a coastal botanical garden, it has become a tourism and research complex, combining elements of the ocean with Southern and Northern Culture along with species and culture. Setting among the bright urban landscape, the garden is a epitome for harmonious development between man and nature."

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Photos

Rizhao Botanical Gardens
the sign at one of the entrances

Princess in her first taxi ride
Princess in her first taxi ride got to sit on the dashboard. Met new friend the dashboard dog.

Rizhao Botanical Gardens
the map and a brief write up in Chinese and English about the botanical Gardens,