Shi Kefa Memorial is one of Yangzhou's more sober historic stops, dedicated to the Ming official who became a symbol of loyalty after the city's fall in 1645. The complex is laid out as a traditional memorial garden, with halls, tablets, trees, and a mood that is very different from the polished elegance of Ge Yuan or He Yuan.
Come here after the gardens, not before them. The story gives the old city a harder edge: Yangzhou was not only a place of salt merchants and courtyards, but also a city with a painful place in the Ming-Qing transition. Labels are limited, so it helps to read a little about Shi Kefa first.