Qinling National Botanical Garden

Qinling National Botanical Garden, the world’s largest with an area of 639 square kilometers (247 square miles), has opened since September 27th, 2017. Located in the northern slope of Qinling Mountains, it is the “biological gene bank” of China and with an altitude variation of over 2,500 meters (8,200 feet), it will also be the botanical garden with the most diversified plants and clearest vegetation zones all over the world. Qinling Botanical National Garden is located in Zhouzhi County, about 70 kilometers (43 miles) south of downtown Xi'an. Following are some of the attractions:
 

Mulberry Garden

Covering an area of 2.6 acres, the countryside atmosphere of this zone mainly cultivates mulberry trees, fig trees, paper mulberries and other moraceae plants. The best time for a visit is from late spring to early summer or from May to mid June where visitors may also pick mulberries besides appreciating the plants.
 

Orchid Garden

It is a specialized park in Qinling National Botanical Garden as it mainly exhibits dendrobium and orchids, with a plant coverage rate of 70%. Dendrobium is a kind of most valued Chinese herb medicines while orchids with special fragrant have been favored by Chinese literati for a long period. The park is set in a courtyard style, combining grass and flower. The orchid grows under the trees and in the grass, which is suitable for photo shoot or sightseeing throughout the year.
 

Rock Plant Garden

This park is a shrubland, cultivating mainly Chinese wolfberry and pseudo-ginseng as well as some pine and cypress. The plant coverage is over 80%. Rock plants usually grow in the rock cracks, on the rocks, or on the thin layer of earth on rocks. They do not like water, so advanced drainage system has been built in this zone. The best time to visit would be in spring and summer from March to August.
 

Gingko Garden

Numerous gingko trees are cultivated in this zone, covering about 90% of the area. Gingko tree is a world-famous ancient living fossil plant. The best time to visit is November when the garden is dyed golden yellow, a very impressive sight indeed.
 

Peony Garden

There are more than 100 varieties of peonies in this Peony Garden which measures 2.7 acres in the Qinling National Botanical Garden. The rate of peony coverage is 60%. The best time to admire the colorful peony blooms is from April to early May.
 

Aquatic Plants Garden

It is filled with wetland plants of more than 200 species, including royal water lily, lotus and Iris tectorum. The best time to visit is in summer from June to August.
 

Greenhouse Hall

There are about 5,000 kinds of plants collected in this hall of 3.6 acres and divided into five zones –Tropical Rainforest Zone, Dwarf Plant Zone, Aquatic Plant Zone, Desert Plant Zone and Leisure Zone. It serves as a large leading base for both science education and sightseeing in China. 
 

Paleontology Hall

It is a world-class science hall covering a wide area of 7.4 acres. It is creatively designed to imitate the appearance and size of paleontological plants and their living environment. There visitors can admire the living scenes thousands of years ago with the help of advanced technologies like sound, light, and electricity, etc.
 

World Expo Hall

The World Expo Hall in Qinling National Botanical Garden is a special region to show national flowers and garden styles of other countries.
 

How to get to Qinling National Botanical Garden

Take Huan Shan Tour Bus No. 1 from the North Square of Big Wild Goose Pagoda during 07:00 and 14:00 and get off at Caishen Guli Station. A one-way ticket costs CNY 12.
 

Ticket Price

March 16 - October 31: CNY 65
November 1 - March 15: CNY 45
 

Opening Hours

09:00 - 17:00

 Nearby Attraction:
Louguantai
- Last updated on Aug. 15, 2024 by Catherine He -