Suzhou Gardens

Suzhou Gardens originated in the Spring and Autumn period, developed in the Han, Tang, Song and Yuan dynasties, and reached their zenith in the Ming and Qing dynasties. In the Suzhou area, there were more than a thousand gardens in history. After more than 2,500 years of history, many gardens have been preserved through generations of repairs. According to statistics, there are more than 40 existing classical gardens in Suzhou. The long history has left Suzhou with a large number of outstanding cultural heritages, among which classical gardens are a brilliant art, with a rare quantity and exquisite craftsmanship in the world.

The Timeless Tradition of Chinese Gardening

In the Spring and Autumn period about 2,500 years ago, King Helu of Wu utilized the natural mountain and water scenery on the outskirts of Suzhou to build Gusu Terrace. It took three years to complete and spanned five miles. Later, King Fuchai of Wu expanded Gusu Terrace and made it grand and magnificent. At the same time, he established scenic gardens and palaces along the Taihu Lake, which were the earliest garden buildings in Suzhou.

After the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the Central Plains was in turmoil, and many wealthy families moved to Jiangnan, and the Suzhou area really began to develop into a prosperous place. Private gardens also gradually emerged, and the art of gardening had new developments. During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, with the opening of the Grand Canal, Suzhou became even more prosperous. At that time, places like Huqiu, Lingyan, Shihu, and Dong and Xishan of Dongting had become scenic spots with beautiful natural scenery, and this was also one of the garden styles at that time.

In the late Northern Song Dynasty, when Emperor Huizong collected the “Hua Shi Gang” written by Zhu Mian, he not only vigorously collected Taihu stones and rare flowers and plants, transported them to Bianjing to build “Genyue,” but also took the opportunity to make a name for himself by building a pleasure garden and Green Water Garden with eighteen fish ponds of various types. The literati in Suzhou who built gardens during the Song Dynasty include Su Shunqin’s Canglang Pavilion, Shi Zhengzhi’s Wanjuan Hall (predecessor of Wangshi Garden), Jiang Xilu’s Hidden Garden, and Yao Chun, Dai Tuan, and Yi, all of whom built gardens. Among them, Lepu Garden, built by Zhu Changwen, was especially famous.

During the Yuan Dynasty, Zhang Shicheng proclaimed himself king in Suzhou and built Jin Chun Yuan. The garden had everything, such as rockeries, ponds, halls, and pavilions. He also ingeniously dredged Jin Fan Jing into the Imperial Garden Canal and sailed with his concubines. Tianru Chan shi built Shizilin Temple (now Lion Grove). The garden has many stone peaks, exquisite and elegant, undulating mountains, and a magnificent momentum. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Suzhou gardening became a trend, and a large number of gardening artists emerged in the Jiangnan area. Ming Dynasty artists include Ji Cheng, Wen Zhenheng, Zhang Lian, and Zhou Bingsi, and those from the Qing Dynasty include Ge Yuliang, Shi Tao, and Qiu Hao Shi, who were all famous in Jiangnan and made significant contributions.

The Origin of the Humble Administrator’s Garden

The Humble Administrator’s Garden is a representative of Suzhou gardens and is one of the four famous gardens in China, along with the Summer Palace in Beijing, the Chengde Mountain Resort, and the Lingering Garden in Suzhou. In 2007, it was rated as one of the first 5A-level tourist attractions by the National Tourism Administration.

It is well-known for its unique layout design, architectural style, calligraphy and sculpture, and horticulture. Another reason for its fame is that it has provided a venue for many historical figures. Among them are the literary giant of Jiangnan, Qian Qianyi, and his concubine Liu Rushi; the late Ming Dynasty censor and Ministry of Punishments attendant, Wang Xinyi; the loyal king of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, Li Xiucheng; and the Governor of Jiangsu, Li Hongzhang.

The Humble Administrator’s Garden was built in the fourth year of the Ming dynasty’s Zhengde era (1509). The censor Wang Xianchen returned to his hometown because of his disappointment with the officialdom and built the garden on the site of a former temple. The garden has pavilions, towers, bridges, flowing water, and ancient trees. The name of the garden was derived from the abbreviation of Pan Yue’s “Idle House Essay” in the Western Jin Dynasty, “this is also the policy of the humble.”

The garden is divided into three parts: the east, formerly known as “Returning to the Countryside Residence,” focuses on pastoral scenery; the middle, also known as “Recovering the Garden,” features pond islands and rockeries, and is the essence of the Humble Administrator’s Garden; and the west, also known as “Supplementary Garden,” where most of the buildings were built in the Qing Dynasty and have a distinct architectural style different from that of the east and middle. Unlike the northern royal gardens, the Humble Administrator’s Garden has no obvious central axis or traditional symmetrical pattern. Instead, most of the garden was designed according to the local environment, with a scattered and open layout that is close to nature, which is a characteristic of Jiangnan gardens.

The Spacious and Airy East Garden

After passing through the walls and gates of the Humble Administrator’s Garden, visitors enter the eastern section of the garden. Here, there is a three-bay hall called Lanxue Hall, which takes its name from the line in a poem by Li Bai that says “Spring wind scatters the falling snow.” This is meant to symbolize the noble character of the owner, who is as free and easy as the spring breeze and as pure as snow. Leaving Lanxue Hall, visitors are greeted by an artificial mountain made of rocks, surrounded by lush bamboo and ancient trees. On top of the mountain is a large stone peak, shaped like a cloud, towering majestically. To the west of the peak are two strangely shaped rocks, and a winding path runs between them. The central peak is called Zhuixun Peak, which acts as a huge screen to block visitors’ view, a technique known as “obstructed view,” to avoid revealing a full view of the garden at once. After passing the artificial mountain, visitors can see the main scenery of the eastern part of the Humble Administrator’s Garden.

The style of the eastern garden is spacious and lively. The lawn on the east side is wide and open, and to the west of the lawn is a mound of earth, surrounded by green waters, willow branches hanging low, and rocks and peaks standing tall, with pavilions and curved bridges built by the water. It is refreshing and pleasant.

The eastern and central parts of the Humble Administrator’s Garden are separated by a long corridor. There are 25 carved windows on the wall of the corridor, like finely crafted paper-cut patterns, embedded in a long scroll. Walking along the corridor, the changing patterns of the windows also change the scenery of the garden. This phenomenon is called “moving scenery.” You will find that these exquisite windows have no identical patterns. The scenery in the garden becomes more vivid and lively because of the windows, which not only have a sense of beauty, but also a deep sense of elegance and grace.

Highlights of the Central Garden

Opening the black lacquered door in the Fu Lane, a refreshing breeze greets you, and you arrive at the Central Garden.

The Central Garden is the main scenic area of the Humble Administrator’s Garden, covering an area of approximately 18.5 acres. Its overall layout is centered around a pool, with pavilions and towers built along the water’s edge. Some of the pavilions and towers extend directly into the water, giving them the characteristics of a water town in southern China. The pool covers three-fifths of the total garden area and is surrounded by lush trees. The buildings, large and small, are arranged along the water’s edge in a clear hierarchy.

The long artificial lake is filled with lotus flowers, and the narrow lake stretches from one end to the other, with the shadow of the North Temple Tower in the distance falling into the green shade of the trees on both sides of the lake. It is said that this was a layout idea of the owner. Since there were pavilions, towers, the lake, and bridges, but no tower, he borrowed the view and included the North Temple Tower outside the wall. This greatly expanded the depth of the Central Garden’s scenery.

The overall layout of the Central Garden still maintains the artistic style of the Ming Dynasty’s gardens, which is rich, simple, and spacious. The “Distant Fragrance Hall”, which uses the fragrance of lotus flowers to represent human character, is the main building of the Central Garden’s main scenic area. It is located on the south bank of the pool, facing the two mountain islands across the pool. The pool is clear and wide, and lotus flowers are planted everywhere. The trees on the islands are lush, and the vines on the water’s edge are covered with vines. Small bridges are built between the streams and valleys of the two mountains, and a pavilion is built on each island. The west one is called the “Snowy Fragrance and Cloudy Wreath Pavilion,” and the east one is called the “Waiting for Frost Pavilion.” The scenery changes with the seasons. From the names of the buildings in the Humble Administrator’s Garden’s Central Garden, most of them are related to lotus flowers, reflecting the owner’s unique character.

The Central Garden’s main area also includes buildings such as the Microscopic Building, the Yulan Hall, and the Jian Shan Building, as well as an exquisite garden within the garden called the Loquat Garden.

The Jian Shan Building is quite unique. The building is surrounded by water on three sides and mountains on both sides. The bottom floor is called the “Lotus Fragrance Pavilion,” and the outer gallery along the water has Wu King leaning against it. When taking a break, you can observe fish up close and enjoy the lotus flowers. You can see various views of the garden that are like paintings slowly unfolding before your eyes. The upper floor is the Jian Shan Building. Tao Yuanming had a famous line: “Picking chrysanthemums under the eastern fence, leisurely seeing the southern mountains.” This building is tall and spacious, and you can see the beautiful scenery of the Central Garden. In spring, the garden is full of new greenery, and it is colorful; in summer, the fragrant wind blows gently, and the lotus fragrance is in the air; in autumn, the reeds by the pool sway in the wind, and the coldness is bleak; in winter, the whole house is warm and sunny, and the snowscape is pleasant. The Jian Shan Building is high but not dangerous, towering but stable, and forms a balanced picture with the surrounding scenery.

“Xiao Canglang” is a three-room water pavilion, with south-facing windows and north-facing thresholds, facing water on both sides, and living across the water, forming a quiet water courtyard. Standing in front of “Xiao Canglang” and looking north, the gallery bridge “Xiao Feihong” is reflected in the water, and the water ripples, like a rainbow. This is the best place to enjoy the water view.

The Loquat Garden is a garden within the Central Garden, named after its loquat trees. Its gate is designed very cleverly. When visitors arrive here, they see a cloud wall in front of them, with peonies planted on both sides. It is truly “when the mountain is exhausted and the water is exhausted, there is no way out.” Unexpectedly, as long as you keep walking forward, you can discover that a yellow stone rockery blocks the entrance next to it. With every step closer, the entrance gets a little bigger. At the door, it is discovered that the entrance is like a bright moon, embedded on a white cloud wall. After passing through the entrance, walk forward again, and this bright moon is slowly covered by the nearby lake rockery. Looking at the moon-shaped door and peony flowers, it makes people unable to help but think of the story of “a closed moon and a shy flower.”

Humble Administrator’s Garden: Located in the northeast corner of Suzhou, No. 178 Dongbei Street, it is the largest classical garden in Suzhou. The entire garden is centered around water, with mountains and water surrounding it. The pavilions and halls are exquisite, and the flowers and trees are lush, giving it a strong Jiangnan water town characteristic.

Beautiful Buildings in Xiyuan Garden

Xiyuan Garden, formerly known as Buyuan Garden, has an area of about 12.5 acres. The water surface here is winding and the layout is compact, with pavilions and towers built by the mountains and water. The main buildings here are the Eighteen Manchurian Flower Hall and the Thirty-six Mandarin Duck Hall, which are quite ingenious. The two halls are actually one hall, with the southern part being the Eighteen Manchurian Flower Hall and the northern part being the Thirty-six Mandarin Duck Hall. This is a mandarin duck hall form in ancient architecture. The southern hall, the Eighteen Manchurian Flower Hall, is suitable for winter and spring. Manchurian flowers are camellias. The northern hall is named after the thirty-six pairs of mandarin ducks that were kept in the pond. The ceiling of the Thirty-six Mandarin Duck Hall is arched, which is not only beautiful and curved, covering the top beams, but also using the arc-shaped roof to reflect sound, enhance the sound effect, and make the residual sound lingering and winding around the beams. The environment of this hall is elegant, and the furnishings are antique. The host can entertain guests, listen to music, and relax here, leisurely and contented. In the winter and spring, the host moves to the Eighteen Manchurian Flower Hall, and in the summer and autumn, they move to the Thirty-six Mandarin Duck Hall, facing the small lake, enjoying the coolness, and watching the mandarin ducks play in the water, very comfortable! The health-preserving culture of Chinese culture is fully reflected here.

Suzhou gardens, represented by the Humble Administrator’s Garden, are full of poetic and picturesque scenery everywhere, and are filled with warm family atmosphere from time to time. The whole garden embodies the life philosophy of being indifferent and clear-sighted, which is exactly what the ancients pursued as “paradise on earth”. How envious we modern people living in the concrete jungle are!

Main Surviving Suzhou Gardens

There are dozens of well-preserved gardens in Suzhou, except for the Humble Administrator’s Garden, which are briefly introduced below:

Canglang Pavilion was built by Su Shunqin during the Northern Song Dynasty. Characteristics: adaptable to local conditions, cleverly borrowed, and balanced mountains and waters, with long corridors.

The Master of the Nets Garden was built by Shi Zhengzhi during the Southern Song Dynasty. Characteristics: The layout of the garden is exquisite and compact, the landscape is like a broken and continuous, everywhere is interconnected, and there is a sense of going back and forth.

The Lion Grove Garden was built by the monk Tianru during the Yuan Dynasty. Characteristics: The flowers, trees, pools, buildings, and rockeries in the garden are organically combined, with rockeries as the main feature.

Liuyuan Garden: Liuyuan Garden is famous for its exquisite layout and numerous peculiar stones. The garden is divided into four parts. The eastern part is dominated by buildings, the central part is a landscape garden, the western part is a large rockery with alternating layers of soil and stones, and the northern part is a pastoral scene.

Liuyuan Garden was built by Xu Taishi in the Ming Dynasty. Characteristics: It excels in architectural structure, with a rigorous and compact layout, exquisite and unique decoration, overlapping gateways, and varied changes.

Yi Garden was built by Jiang Ji in the Qianlong period. Characteristics: It is famous for its wonderful rockery, which looks like a pile of fists from the outside, but like a beautiful mountain villa when entered, surrounded by thousands of rocks and ravines.

The Art Garden was built by Yuan Zugeng in the Jiajing period. Characteristics: It is simple and natural, and excels in literary elegance.