South China Botanical Garden

Guangzhou, China, China

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The South China National Botanical Garden (formerly South China Botanical Garden) is one of China's three largest botanical gardens, covering 1,155 hectares (about 2,854 acres) in Tianhe District, Guangzhou, Guangdong province, and was founded in 1929 by renowned botanist Chen Huanyong (Chun Woon-Young). As the oldest and largest South Asian tropical botanical garden in China, it contains the most plant species in the country with approximately 24,000 plant species and is reputed as the "Tropical and Sub-tropical Botanic Museum". The garden was upgraded to a National Botanical Garden in 2022, becoming one of the first two such gardens approved by China's State Council, and serves as one of China's oldest botany research institutions under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The facility consists of three main parts: the Nursery and Exhibition Zone with modern conservatories, an education hall, and about 30 specialized gardens including the Azalea Garden, Ginger Garden, Bamboo Garden, and Aquatic Botanical Garden; the Research and Residential Zone covering 91 acres with a herbarium holding 1,000,000 plant specimens and a library with 200,000 books; and the Dinghushan Nature Reserve, built in 1956 as China's first nature reserve and the only one of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which cultivates more than 2,400 plant types. The garden houses dozens of viewing areas featuring rare relic plants that have existed for over 100 million years, with more than 100 azalea species and seasonal flowers including cherry blossoms, making spring the best visiting season. Open year-round from 7:30 to 17:30, it offers a quiet, family-friendly environment with battery car transportation throughout the large park, and admission costs CNY 20 for the garden and CNY 50 for the conservatory.