China Attractions Suzhou

Suzhou -

located in China, in Jiangsu province, just 80 km west from Shanghai. Suzhou is being called Paradise on the earth, also The Little Italy of China, is famous for beautiful chinese gardens, a historical and cultural city. An evening entertainment in of of those gardens  is a wonderful opportunity to experience music.











Suzhou gardens - Suzhou is famous for its beautiful garden. The largest of all classical gardens in Suzhou is   " The Humble Administrators's Garden" covering 51,950 sq.m. It is centered upon the broad expanse of a lake, making up about one fifth of the total area. The garden landscape and water scape are simple, extensive and natural, possessing the traditional appearances of the Ming Dynasty. The Humble administrator's Garden boasts altogether 48 different buildings, 101 parallel couplets and door plate aux, 40 stelae, 21 precious old trees, namely Wistaria, Sabina chincherinchee, pterocaulous stenophyllous,etc.falling into 13 different catalogues, and over 700 bonsai (potted landscape) kept in the Bonsai Garden in the western part of the garden, representing the Suzhou
style bonsai, one of the four leading bonsai styles in china. It is divided into three parts; the eastern, middle and the western parts. The house lies in the south of the garden. The middle part is the cream of the garden with marvellous mountains, clear water, exquisite buildings and exuberant trees and flower reminiscent of the scenery in the south of the Lower Yangtze . The buildings in the western part of the garden are properly arranged by the lake.To the south of the lake is a big mandarin duck's hall with two halves. The northern half is named "the Hall of 36 pairs of mandarin ducks" and the southern half "the hall of 18 camellias ". Lying to the south of the garden is the house, which is the typical residence in Suzhou. On a north-south axis there are four successive buildings, namely the Sedan-Chair Hall, the Reception Hall and two two-storeyed buildings. To the east of the axis are the Mandarin Ducks' Hall with flower-basket decoration, the Flower Hall and the Four -Sided Viewing Hall.

The Lingering Garden covering an area of 23,310 sq.m. Buildings make up one third of the total area of the garden, the hall of which being the most remarkable in Suzhou . The garden is separated into the middle ,eastern,northern and western parts. The ancestral temple and the house lie to the south of the garden.

Man-made mountain and lake scenery in the west and garden courts in the east, the middle part of the garden is the original site of the Xu's East Garden and the Liu's Hanbi Villa, and is regarded as the best part of the whole garden. The eastern, northern and western parts are the extensions of the Sheng's Garden. The eastern part is noted for its strangely shaped limestones,the northern part idyllic scenes,and the western part the delights of woody hills. A middle part of the garden is centered upon a lake with man-made moutain in the north-west and a number of attractive buildings in the southwest ,such as the Hanbi Moutain Villa ,the Pellucid Tower,the Green Shade Pavilion,the Zigzag Stream Tower,the Hao Pu Pavilion,and the Refreshing Breeze Pavilion by the lake.The mountains made mainly of yellowstones and earth,believed to be designed and piled up by Zhou Binzhong,look very much archaic and splendiferous.The admirable Crane House, the Small Garden of Stone Forest, the Return-to-Read Study in the east with the Celestial Hall of Five Peaks as the chief stucture are laid out in such a way that the indoor spaces have been brought into perfect harmony with the outdoor spaces. With an evocation of infinity,they are successfully made to be labyrinthine.
The western part of the garden sets a fine example of good-looking earthen hills studded with yellowstones and covered with maple trees.There is a winding brook lined with peach trees and weeping willows.

The Master-of-Nets Garden - covers 5,400 sqm. and is divided into two parts: the eastern house and the western garden. Half enclosed by a screen wall with a row of iron rings for tethering horses, and two alleyway side entrances. Today the Master-of-Nets Garden has 22 buildings, 2 doors with richly carved earthen ornamentation,15 plate aux, 9 parallel couplets,15 brick and stone carvings, 32 steal, and 8 rare species of old trees, namely Sabina Chincherinchee, etc. falling into 6 catalogues.
On a north-south axis there are four successive buildings separated by garden courts, namely the front door hall, the sedan-chair hall, the grand reception hall and the two-storied tower. The garden lies to the northwest of the house, making up four fifth of the total area. Quite different from the normal architecture in the east, the garden architecture enjoys a considerable degree of free. The middle part of the garden has a pond in the center. It covers about 440 sqm with a small bay to the northwest and a streamlet to the southeast giving the impression of infinity. The northern part of the garden features studies and studios with beautiful garden courts. Some noteworthy places include the Peony Study the Watching Pines and Appreciating Paintings Studio, the Meditation Study, the Five Peaks Library and the Cloud Stairway Room.

Mountain Villa with Embracing Beauty it is known for its wonderful limestone mountain, Mountain Villa with Embracing Beauty, covering only 2,180 sq.m.,enjoys the same reputation as other famous garden in China . There are 8 buildings, 22 brick, and 4 valuable old trees. A number of buildings are arranged opposite to the mountain. There are two halls to the south of the mountain, facing each other over a stream. The front hall is called "In Company with a Ravine" and the rear hall “Mountain Villa with Embracing Beauty ". On the top of the mountain is a pavilion called "Housing the Mountain with a Half-Filled Pool in Autumn". At its foot are the Putting-a-Question-to-the-Spring Pavilion and the Make-Up Autumn Galley. To the west of the mountain is a unique side structure with a long walkway on the ground floor and rooms one floor upstairs.

The Lion Grove Garden  has a prominent part for series of man-made mountains with various buildings around the lake, and an artificial waterfall and cliffs at the edge of the lake on the west. Remains of the 14th century man-made mountains, that’s covers 1,152 sq.m and being the largest of all at Suzhou, can be still seen today.  The Lion Grove Garden boasts 22 buildings of varied types, 25 tablets and plate aux, 71stelae inscribed with the famous Calligraphy Collection of the Listening to Rain Tower, 23 brick carvings, 5 carved wooden screens, and 13 valuable old.