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The city of Suzhou is most
famous for its elegant classical gardens. Among these, the
Humble Administrator's Garden, covering about 52,000 sq. meters
(12.85 acres), is the largest and most renowned. Due to its
unique designs and ethereal beauty, the garden has garnered many
special honors. It is listed as a World Cultural Heritage site
and has also been designated as one of the Cultural
Relics of National Importance under the Protection of the State
as well as a Special Tourist Attraction of China. Along with the
Summer Palace in Beijing, the Mountain Resort of Chengde in
Hebei Province and the Lingering Garden in Suzhou, it is
considered as one of China's four most famous gardens. No other
classic garden in the country has been honored more than this
one.
The Humble Administrator's Garden was originally built in 1509
during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). It was initially a private
garden of a former government servant named Wang Xianchen. It
was said he intended to build a garden after retired and just do
some gardening work like planting trees and vegetables there,
which was said to be the life of a humble man by him. Hence is
the name of the garden. The garden was created upon the old
relics of a resident and a temple. Water feature is the main
background and its natural landscape includes small forests,
hills and rock formations. It also has man-made pavilions, halls
and parlors. Unlike the Grand View Garden and other famous
gardens in Beijing, it is representative of the Ming Dynasty
building style.
The garden consists of Eastern, Central and Western sections as
well as some residences of the former owners. The resident
houses are typical of the style of Suzhou Local Residences,
whose feature can be seen in the famous water township
Zhouzhuang not far from Suzhou City. The site of the residences
has been rebuilt as the Garden Museum now.
Eastern Section
The Eastern Section is dotted with sheer hills, green grasses,
dense bamboo and pine forests and winding streams. The main
building is the Cymbidium Goeingii Hall (Lanxiang Tang). Its
south wall has a panoramic map of the entire garden. Another
impressive structure is the Celestial Spring Pavilion (Tianquan
Ting), which gets its name from an ancient well inside whose
water tastes very sweet.
Central Section
The Central Section is the truly elite part of the garden, with
one-third of its area covered by water. It is lined with
exuberant trees and elegant parlors. Pavilions and courtyards
are clustered throughout. The Hall of Distant Fragrance (Yuanxiang
Tang) is the main building that is named after a lotus pool
nearby. When the summer comes the pool is filled with lotuses
and the heady fragrance wafts into the building. The hall is
designed with oversized glass windows on all sides for easy
viewing. Nearby is the Small Flying Rainbow Bridge (Xiaofeihong),
a rare type of bridge and the only one in the garden you can
walk across.
Western Section
A pavilion housing a beautiful natural stoneThe main building in
the Western Section is a stately and ornate hall which is
divided into two by a massive screen. The south part is 18
Camellias Hall (Shiba Mantuoluohua Guan) and the north part is
the 36 Pairs of Mandarin Duck's Hall (Saliu Yuanyang Guan). In a
nearby pool where the ducks were fed, stands an octagonal Pagoda
Reflection Pavilion (Taying Ting); there is an optical illusion
here - it appears as if a pagoda was lifting when all we
actually see is the reflection of the pavilion.
In recent years, the Humble Administrator's Garden has been the
site of many floral exhibitions. Every spring and summer, the
garden hosts the Azalea Festival and the Lotus Festival. There
are bonsai shows in the aptly named Bonsai Garden (Penjing Yuan)
in the Western Section while precious Chinese stones are shown
in the Elegant Stone House (Yashi Zhai) in the Central Section.
After touring the garden, you may want to visit Lion Grove
Garden, a famous classical garden of a different style. Also,
there are many museums nearby if you want to more deeply explore
the gardening techniques and customs of Suzhou.
 Back
to the Suzhou
tour packages.
You can also take the advantage of your
Shanghai tour and pay a side trip
to Suzhou to experience the beauty and quietness in this world-famous
City of Garden!
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