Friday, May 1, 2015 CHINA DAILY 2015 Suzhou 18 Suzhou special World Table Tennis Championships Classical gardens adorn the city Nine of Suzhou’s gardens inscribed on UNESCO World Heritage list, Xu Xiao reports. he classical gardens of Suzhou, Liu Shu, an official during Emperor Qian- Jiangsu province, which were for- long’s reign in the Qing Dynasty. After exten- mer private estates, represent the sive renovation, he renamed the estate Cold T highest level of China’s traditional Green Village. gardening and have set a benchmark for In 1873, the garden was bought by retired Chinese classical garden design. Qing Dynasty official Sheng Kang and was The Suzhou gardens, which are renowned renamed Liu Yuan — or Lingering Garden. for their rich landscaping in a limited space, Sheng Kang’s son Sheng Xuanhuai, a span thousands of years. senior official in the ministry of industry Historical documents said locals began to during the late Qing Dynasty who was hon- build gardens when the city, which was then ored by later generations as the “father of known as Gusu, became the capital of the Wu China’s modern industries”, inherited the Kingdom some 2,500 years ago. garden. During his ownership, the garden The local gardening design matured in the became the best known of all Suzhou’s gar- Song Dynasty (960-1279) and flourished in dens. the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) In 1957, Lingering Garden was opened to Dynasties. the public. In 1964, it was listed by the State Today, there are more than 60 well-pre- Council as one of China’s four most famous served classical gardens in Suzhou, 19 of classical gardens. In 1997, it was included on which are open to the public. UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites list. The classical gardens feature landscapes The two-hectare garden is divided into mimicking natural scenery of rocks, hills and three distinctly themed sections. rivers, which also feature cleverly laid-out The central area is the oldest part of the bridges, pavilions and pagodas as well as garden, featuring the primary elements of other structures — all in a very limited space any Chinese garden — hills and brooks. The of several hectares or less. eastern section mainly features buildings In 1997, nine of the gardens were included and other structures. A long corridor con- on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The nects the two sections. following four represent the best of Suzhou’s Mimicking natural and wild landscapes, ancient gardening art. the northwestern section is the quietest area of the garden. Humble Administrator’s Garden The Humble Administrator’s Garden is the Lion Forest Garden largest classical garden in Suzhou and is con- Lion Forest Garden was built in 1342 dur- sidered the finest garden in all of southern ing the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368) by a Zen China. It is regarded as one of the top four Buddhist monk named Tianfu in memo- classical gardens in China along with the ry of his teacher Zhongfeng. The name of Master-of-the-Nets Garden PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY Summer Palace in Beijing, Chengde Moun- the garden is derived from the lion-shaped tain Resort in Chengde, Hebei province, and rocks, which also resemble a lion in Bud- Lingering Garden in Suzhou. dhist sutras. In 1997, Zhuozheng Yuan, the Chinese The garden set a benchmark for many of name for the garden, along with another the key features of Suzhou’s classical gar- eight of Suzhou’s classical gardens was pro- dens, including pavilions, pagodas, court- claimed a UNESCO World Heritage Site. yards, buildings and halls. It is also known In 1513, Wang Xiancheng, an imperial for its ponds, lakes, hills and unusual rocks. envoy and poet of the Ming Dynasty cre- It is nicknamed “the kingdom of artificial ated a garden on the site of the dilapidated hills”. Dahong Temple in Suzhou. The garden was The garden’s design attracted the attention named after a verse by Jin Dynasty (265 of many noted visitors, such as Yuan Dynasty AD-420) poet Pan Yue to express Wang’s fine painter Ni Zan, who created Painting Scroll taste and his desire to retire. of Lion Forest in 1373. The Kangxi and Qian- The five-hectare garden highlights a long emperors of the Qing dynasty also visit- waterscape with water features accounting ed the garden many times. Qianlong also had for one-fifth of the total space. replicas of the garden both in the Summer The garden has a number of pavilions Palace in Beijing and at Chengde Mountain and bridges set among connected pools and Resort in Chengdu, Hebei province. islands, resembling a traditional Chinese In 1918, renowned merchant Bei Runsh- painting inspired by simple yet poetic nature. eng purchased the garden. In 1953, it was It consists of three major parts around opened to the public after renovation by a lake. the Suzhou city government. In 2000, it was The eastern garden features a few build- named by UNESCO as a World Heritage site. ings around a central lawn and pond. In 2006, the State Council listed it as one of The central part consists of many scenes the country’s major preserved sites. arranged around the Surging Wave Pond. Within the pond, three islands recreate the Master-of-the-Nets Garden scenery of the legendary Penglai islands of The name of this garden is an allusion to the east sea. the simple life of a fisherman, which was The western garden is only half the size admired by many ancient officials and schol- of the central space, and is also dominated ars who romanticized it as an escape from by water. Although small, it is planned with worldly worries. meticulous care and precision. Master-of-the-Nets Garden was built in Flower shows are a recent attraction of the 1174 during the Song Dynasty. It demon- garden, with an azalea festival in spring and strates Chinese garden designers’ adept Humble Administrator’s Garden a lotus flower festival in summer. In addition, skill at synthesizing art, nature and archi- there are also exhibitions of sculptures and tecture to create unique metaphysical mas- porcelain artworks. terpieces. The garden is divided into three halls. and considered “the best gate tower south nyi courtyard located in the western corner It is regarded as “the most exquisite The main hall used to receive distinguished of the Yangtze river.” of the garden. A replica of the courtyard’s Lingering Garden Suzhou classical garden” among garden guests still displays a complete set of Qing The garden is built around the Rosy Cloud delicate and primitive design was exhibited Built in 1593, Lingering Garden was connoisseurs for its high achievement in Dynasty-styled furniture with skilled crafts- Pool. Small buildings are set on rocks or piers in New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art the residence of Xu Taishi, a high-ranking the techniques of using relative dimension, manship. directly over the water surface while large in 1978. official during the Ming Dynasty who was contrast, foil, sequence and depth, as well as The gate tower outside the main hall has a buildings are separated from the pool by impeached but later exonerated. borrowed scenery. In 1997, it was included history of over 280 years. Six meters tall and yards planted with trees to obscure their size. Contact the writer at xuxiao@chinadaily. In 1794, ownership of the estate passed to on the UNESCO World Heritage list. 3.2 m wide, the tower is exquisitely carved A wall separates the pool and the Dianchu- com.cn Lingering Garden Lion Forest Garden.