The Private Gardens in the South In comparison with the imperial garden
2 min readThe Private Gardens in the South In comparison with the imperial garden
The private garden in the south has the following characteristics：
（1）The private gardens are on the small scale.They make use of rising and falling，twists and turns and hinting methods to stir up people’s subjective re-creation.
（2）The private gardens have water as the center，with other scenic buildings scattered around.
（3）The private gardens are mostly constructed by men of letters who are beyond the conventions.The standard of construction is to be pure，so as to cultivate people’s minds.
In the Classical Gardens of Suzhou，there are Zhuozheng Garden，Liu Garden，Lion Garden and Wangshi Garden，Huanxiu Villa，Yipu Garden，Ou Garden，Tuisi Garden and Canglang Pavilion.
The Zhuozheng Garden in Suzhou
The Zhuozheng Garden is situated in the northeast of Suzhou，Jiangsu Province.It was built in the Ming Dynasty，and was developed into the present appearance in the Qing Dynasty.The garden consists of three parts:east，middle and west，the middle being the main part.The middle part is in a horizontal rectangular shape.Hills and rocks pile up along the riverbanks.There are various pavilions，houses with white walls and dark roof tiles which are characterized by flying eaves and rake angles.
The Lion Garden in Suzhou
The Lion Garden was built at the end of the Yuan Dynasty.It lies in the northeast of Suzhou.It is famous for the numerous artificial hills made of pebbles.
The Lion Garden The owner was the disciple of Weize，one of famous Buddhists，who was enlightened in the Lion Rock of Mount Tianmu in Zhengjiang Province.From his memory，the disciple built the Lion Garden.Apart from the usual Multistory buildings ，Terraces ，Pavilions ，Two-story pavilions ，Chinese Pogadas ，Verandas with windows ，Pavilions or houses on terraces and Rooms along roofed corridors ，there are odd stones and deep caves.
In the garden stones stand in odd postures，which look like dancing lions.It is also said that the garden is named after the stone in the shape of lions.
