In 1997, Classical Gardens of Suzhou was inscribed on the list of Wolrd Heritage.
Suzhou, situated in the east of Jiangsu Province, China, is renowned for the well-designed gardens since ancient time. Classical Chinese gardens recreate natural landscapes to combine moountain, hill, water, hall, house, pavillion etc. The nine gardens in the historic city of Suzhou are generally acknowledged to be masterpieces of the genre. The history of the Chinese classical gardens can be tracked back to 11th-19th century, reached climax in the 18th century.
There are more than 50 gardens in Suzhou nowadays, 9 of which, the Humble Administrator’s Garden, Lingering Garden, Net Master’s Garden, the Mountain Villa with Embracing Beauty, the Canglang Pavilion, the Lion Grove Garden, the Garden of Cultivation, the Couple’s Garden Retreat, and the Retreat & Reflection Garden, are regarded as the finest embodiments of Chinese “Mountain and Water” gardens. These gardens marked profound metaphysical importance of natural beauty in Chinese culture in their meticulous design.
The Gardens can be cataloged into private and royal ones. The biggest royal garden is the Old Summer Palace which was destroyed by the Eight-Power Allied Forces in 1900. Most gardens in Suzhou are private ones.
It is highly recommended to visit Net and Master Garden in the night while travel to China, you will have chance to watch the Chinese traditional performance in the halls of the garden.
