The Classical Gardens of Suzhou, Jiangsu, China

5Manu J 5:00 PM May 20, 2016

Suzhou's Raison D'Etre
A 30 minute train ride away from Shanghai are the Gorgeous classical Gardens of Suzhou. The unusual concentration of high quality Chinese gardens in a relatively small geographical area make Suzhou a stand-out. Chinese gardens differ markedly from Western and Islamic gardens- which tend to architecturalize the garden; the Chinese on the other hand romanticize the garden by taking the most winsome elements of nature and exaggerating these- often to the point of caricature (the rock formations, for example). Interspersed with the natural elements are architectural features like follies, pagodas, bridges, passages etc. All in all, they are wonderful escapes from reality -especially if the reality is the teeming, modern Chinese city outside the high walls. Back in a quieter time with a slower pace of life, they much have provided just the right setting for reflection and Chinese poetry. After you have been to even a couple of these Gardens, you begin to pick up and understand the building blocks of the vocabulary- the essential pond/lake, the carefully thought out plantings, the Moon Gates, the Pavilions, the bridges, etc etc. I took 2 days out to visit 5-6 of the many classical Gardens in Suzhou, including the Humble Administrator's, Lion Forest, Ouyuan, Liu Lingering, Yipu as well as the under-rated garden in the Tiger Hill scenic area. All have their own charm, but I appreciated the smaller ones like the Ouyan, Yipu and Tiger Hill ones the most because of the smaller crowds, and the fact that the smaller scale helped me process and absorb the million little details. So if you find yourself in Shanghai with even 1 day to kill, do yourself a favor and take the early morning fast train to Suzhou, see at least 2-3 gardens, walk Kitchy Shantang Jie Street or more upmarket Pingjiang Street in the evening and take the fast night train back in time to get a head start on the next day.

4yycflip 5:00 PM Jun 29, 2015

Mysterious and peacefull...
Visited a few years back... Not your typical garden as it combines classical layout but with very distinctive rock features. It was both mysterious and peaceful at the same time. A serene place to spend a few hours in admiring the classical Chinese architecture of different structures and the plentiful covered walkways. A not to be missed attraction in Suzhou!