In 1818 (the 22nd year of the reign of the Jiaqing Emperor), salt distribution commissioner Huang Zhiyun bought the land and rebuilt the garden as a private retreat.

Huang Zhiyun loved bamboo, believing that they were as persistent, modest, straightforward, and loyal as a good man.

This was also noted by Yuan Mei, a writer during the Qing Dynasty: "the moonlight made the bamboo shadows hundreds of the character ge".

[4][5] Geyuan is known for its seasonal rock gardens, which paint a colorful landscape: "the rockery in spring is flamboyant like a bright smile, in summer is verdant like sparkling dewdrops, in autumn is clean like a light makeup, and in winter, it is pale like a sleeping beauty".

It is a small, elegant urban wooded mountain garden, primarily made up of bamboo and rocks.