Classical Gardens of Suzhou

Over the years in this extraordinary place, ancient Chinese scholars with their highly cultivated sense of beauty had one garden built after another. In the midst of the bustling city they created solitary hills and isolated groves of their own. During their leisure time they created ink and wash landscape paintings and they recited lyrical poetry. During this period the most beautiful melody resounded in these gardens. Chinese people regard this place as paradise on earth and the gardens as everyone's spiritual home. Suzhou is located in Jiangsu province in eastern China. The city has a moderate climate with abundant rainfall and its rich in natural resources. Suzhou is a city with a history of 2,500 years. Private gardens in the ancient city emerged in the second century AD. During the ensuing 1,000 years the art of gardening underwent significant development. From the 16th to the 18th centuries 500 gardens were built. The art form then reached its zenith and a unique style of landscape gardening was established. This stretch of water provides a natural screen for the garden but it still affords a glimpse of the landscape within it. The layout of the Great Wave Pavilion is exceptional. The Great Wave Pavilion was first built during the Five Dynasties period in the 10th century and it's the oldest remaining garden in Suzhou. Kind rises and falls along with the terrain. The focal point of the garden is the rockery. Atop it is an old-fashioned pavilion named the Great Wave Pavilion. The gardens named after it. Some 100 open work windows are found in this garden. These ingenious and skillfully produced windows and diverse shapes are models of the style of the old gardens. Here and there can be seen bamboo groves. Graceful buildings stand throughout the garden. Cobbled paths meander through courtyards. Carp swim in a green pool. Over its 900-year history the Great Wave Pavilion has been a telling example of the tranquility of classical gardens in Suzhou. Here one can easily imagine a friend with a gift coming to the pavilion from afar by boat perhaps to play a game of chess. Time slips away through the rocks and trees. In these gardens Chinese scholars pondered the ups and downs of life and history's greatest achievers. Lion Grove Garden in Suzhou is the only remaining garden built in the 14th century. It was built by a Zen Buddhist monk to commemorate his teacher. Scattered on the hillocks are Taihu rocks in grotesque shapes. In Buddhist sutras the lion's roar is a metaphor for the preaching of Tathagata. As the garden was built by Buddhists it is named after a lion. The four patterns in the open work windows vividly symbolize the lifestyle of ancient Chinese scholars. Lion Grove Garden uniquely blends the grandeur of mountains and rivers with the beauty of the garden. Like other gardens Lion Grove Garden is built in a busy part of the city. From this angle people can understand why the classical gardens of Suzhou are called urban hills and groves. It is said that several hundred years ago monks sat in meditation here. But in the eye of the garden's owners the peaks are like virtuous and enlightened people. They often lit incense among the peaks and meditated upon life and death in the secular world and reincarnation in the next. In the tea houses of Suzhou duets chanted in a local dialect are often performed. They tell romantic stories of a scholar and a beauty or the adventures of heroes. Pingtan is a fascinating ancient storytelling art combined with ballad singing. It's performed in the Suzhou dialect. It was created 400 years ago and it's still full of life today. The humble administrator's garden first built in the early 15th century covers 5.2 hectares. It is the largest of the existing classical gardens in Suzhou. The eastern section of the garden manifests idyllic scenery. The riverbank and groves are sparsely studded with buildings. Rubulets flow at the foot of the rockeries creating a space with the atmosphere of a wilderness. The highlight of the garden is the middle section. An area of 1.2 hectares is partially covered by water. Varied buildings in a simple style are arranged near the water's edge. The rockeries are surrounded by ponds. High and low hills look like islets on the water. The entire garden is tranquil and thought-provoking. It exemplifies the layout of 16th century Chinese gardens. A marble boat on the water's surface is a special form of architectural structure in ancient China. This one is known as Fragrance Isle. The master of this garden had traveled to many places and had many adventurous experiences before he retreated into this private space. The unmoving Fragrance Isle is a symbol of his former ambition. On the platform of Fragrance Isle is an ancient Chinese zither. Playing the tune Lofty Mountains and Flowing Rivers on a misty isle can be a way of recalling the past, of venting the player's emotions and of finding consolation in music. This melody resounded for a long time over the artificial landscape here and finally died down as an epilogue of the ancient gardening arts of Suzhou. Small Flying Rainbow is the only covered bridge in the garden. It divides the water's surface and creates a reclusive space. The Mountain and View Tower is surrounded by water on three sides. Two zigzag bridges link up the north and the south areas of the pool. It was here that the owner of the garden and his friends gathered to recite poems and create lyrics. Within the wide open space of the garden are some divided and sheltered small yards. Building enclosures within the gardens was a typical Suzhou feature. Having passed through a moon-like gate, one can enter the western garden of the humble administrator's garden. It is a small, delicate space. This wave-shaped gallery, constructed in the form of waves, divides the middle and western quarters. From every vantage point, it displays the implicit beauty of curves. Hence, it is a vital example of Chinese galleries. The humble administrator's garden epitomizes the common history of Suzhou's classical gardens. In 1509, a Ming Dynasty high official lost favour in the imperial court, and he retired to his hometown. On the ruins of an old temple, he built the humble administrator's garden. He invited Wen Zhengming, the most famous artist in the south, to take part in the design of it. With his artist's eye, Wen Zhengming conserved the garden with traditional Chinese brushwork. It took ten years to complete this garden under his supervision. This garden, with water covering its better part, embodies a style of landscape gardening that is as natural as nature itself, strongly manifesting the aesthetic of traditional Chinese painting. Nature is used as the blueprint. To create the layout of these classical gardens of Suzhou, elements of Chinese painting are adopted. The hall of 36 pairs of mandarin ducks in the humble administrator's garden is the primary feature of its western garden. It has a tasteful, luxuriant look. The window panes around the buildings are comprised of white glass with blue diamond patterns. Different windows offer different views. Here, the garden's master appreciated Kunqiu, a type of ancient Chinese opera. From the 14th century on, many artists participated in the construction of gardens. They applied painting theory and techniques and the features of Chinese landscape painting to gardening. Within a small area, they created an exquisite space which made people want to linger and feel reluctant to leave. This huge rockery consisting of cliffs, caves and valleys covers an area of nearly 340 square meters. It vividly mimics the mountains of nature and it presents capricious faces when viewed from different angles. The rockery has a valley some 10 meters in length. Its summit is 7 meters in height. The path at the bottom extends some 70 meters. This large rockery is surrounded by water on three sides. It was built in the 18th century and covers half of the area of a mountain villa. It is an example of the technique of rockery building and demonstrates permanent artistic qualities. It is regarded as the finest artificial rock hill in China. Those living far away from the forests longed to live in the forests. This garden was owned by different families for 200 years. Usually, they wandered among the rocks, admired the beauty of the garden, drank with close friends and chatted about things in the past and of their own time. At such moments, Chinese scholars enjoyed the most memorable times of their lives. The two hectare lingering garden is the most exquisite of the classical gardens in Suzhou. Its current appearance shows its 18th century style. Within it, the scenery unfolds in a sequence as one walks along its winding path. At the center of the garden, there is a pond. A sizable rockery and a number of huge trees are in the western part. The rockery winds its way to the north. A bird's eye view of the garden is available from the osmanthus fragrance pavilion at the top of the rockery. In the southern section, the principal building is the Pellucid Tower. Its brilliant tiled roofs and closed windows feature classical patterns and uplifted eaves in simple and elegant styles. The Zigzag Stream Tower is the main building of the eastern section. It is gracious and arched over by trees on both sides. At the center is a man-made islet, nicknamed Small Fairy Isle. The isle separates the water into greater and smaller parts. In this limited space, the scenery pitches high and low, providing ever-changing vistas seen through the openwork windows. The 700-meter zigzagging corridor rises and falls with the terrain. By the margin of the wall, a green belt dotted with Taihu rocks lays out a lovely miniature garden. This is a typical way of building corridors in the classical gardens of Suzhou. The primary hall in the lingering garden is the Celestial Hall of Five Peaks. The hall and different buildings on each of its wings form a quadrangle. The 6.5-meter cloud-capped peak is the biggest single Taihu rock in the classical gardens of Suzhou. A smaller Taihu rock stands at each side. This composition exposes a peculiar beauty residing in nature, and it creates a wonderful scene. In the attic of the Pellucid Tower, the garden's owner once created paintings. Xuan paper, a brush and ink, a refreshing breeze, and the delightful scenery contributed to a wonderful environment for Chinese scholars to ponder and interpret the meaning of life. Kappel's Retreat Garden is surrounded by water on three sides. All of its scenery lies hidden within high walls. Yellow Stones Rockery is another showpiece of Suzhou's classical gardens. It's surrounded by water on four sides. Its appropriate dimensions and varied heights harmoniously coexist with the surroundings. Sweet Home Pavilion, built by the water, is adjoined to a long winding corridor. It is utterly charming. This pavilion, with its four uplifted eaves, reveals the elegance of regular forms. Sitting in the pavilion, the beautiful lake and mountains come into view. 130 years ago, a couple lived in seclusion here to shun the world outside the walls. They labored within the garden, and they enjoyed a peaceful life. Nostalgic for her hometown, the hostess had a high tower built at a corner adjacent to a waterway. This is the Tower of Listening to Splashing Water. Next to the Lady's Tower is her husband's Kui Star Pavilion. The two are opposite each other, but linked within. This is the only building in the classical gardens of Suzhou to suggest gender equality. One wonders what the mood of the hostess was when she heard the splashing of oars beyond the garden. For those who live far away from their birthplaces, nostalgia is a lifelong companion. The town of Tongli, near Suzhou, displays the typical scenery of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. A classical garden here was first built in the 19th century. With water at its center, all the buildings of the Garden of Quiet Meditation are close to the water's surface. It seems that the whole garden is floating on water. This boat-like structure is made of marble. It's supported by rocks, and it's flush with the water's surface, as if navigating on the sea. In the old days, boats were a major means of transport in this region. So a love for boats is a prominent feature of the local culture. Chatting with friends or family members while eating nuts and drinking tea at the window of the Belvedere is a common scene in this garden. At the proud marble boat, a pretty girl once played the xiao, a vertical end-blown flute, in harmony with a young man playing the side-blown bamboo flute. Another legacy that the Suzhou gardens have left to the world is the wisdom to enjoy a tasteful life and to display a mild and reserved temperament. The classical gardens of Suzhou have created a poetic wonderland. A wonderland that expresses the spiritual longings of Chinese literati.