The MostUnique Style of SuzhouGardens

With a history of more than 2,500 years,the ancient city of Suzhou,boasting splendidscenery,rich cultural heritage and abundant agricultural products,is situated in the LowerYangtze basin by the side of Lake Tai.Ever since thefounding of Suzhou as the capital of the Wu Kingdomin 514 B.C.,it has been the political,economic andcultural center of the region.As a place famed forKEits well-known scholars,successful merchants,greatarchitects and distinguished artists,Suzhou providesfavorable conditions for the creation and developmentof classical gardens.

The earliest gardens of Suzhou,which belongedto the King of Wu,can be traced far back to the Spring and Autumn period in the 6th centuryD.C.The Pijiang Garden was recorded as the earliest private garden-house dating from the 4thCcntury Eastern Jin Dynasties.More gardens were built in the centuries that followed.During”e Prosperous Ming and Oing Dynasties.from the 16th to the 18th century in particular,Suzhousaw a booming economy.Consequently,the number of gardens in and around the city of Suzhouincreased a great deal,ounting to 200 odd.Dozens of them have survived to the present andare kept in a good state ofreservation.With their numerical superiority and artistic perfection,,Classical gardens of Suzhou have had a good reputation in this part of China,popularlyknown as”the earthlyaradise”.

Laid out within a limited area by the house a classical garden of Suzhou is a microcosmof the world made of the basiclements of water,stones,plants and different kinds of buildingswith literary allusions.Like a freehand brushwork in traditional Chinese painting,it is thecreation of “urbannature.Built in a period when privately-owned gardens were most flourishing,the HumbleAdministrator’s Garden,the Lingering Garden,the Master-of-Nets Garden and the MountainVilla with Embracing Beauty,noted for their beautiful scenes,elegant buildings and I’teraryconnotations.represent the concentrated essence of wisdom of the Chinese and the finestspecimens of all classical gardens of Suzhou.Like shining pearls,they are a brilliant part ofChinese cultural heritage.cenery”or an amicable environment that brings man into harmony with

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