Shengtang Peony Gadens

The Shentang Peony Gardens are 10 km south of Xi'an at the foot of the Qingling Mountains. The garden boasts of 400 different types of peonies, although by the time I made it out there, many had already wilted.  In the gardens is a temple built by a Taiwanese movie star named Li Jialin, in honor of a famous character from Chinese folklore Zhong Kui. The temple was dilapidated, but it had some carvings of deer in the windows. I had never seen deer in temple decor before.
I really liked this garden because there were only two groundskeepers and my youngest daughter and I there. It was a quiet piece of heaven.

The Peopny Fairy

Temple