HUMBLE ADMINISTRATOR GARDEN

 Located in the northeastern Suzhou, the Humble

Administrator's Garden is one of the four great
Chinese gardens as well as the largest classical
garden in Suzhou city.

 The garden was established during the Ming

Dynasty by Wang Xianchen , a governor who
was demoted at that time and came back to his
hometown.

 The garden's site was initially the residence and

garden of Lu Guimeng, a Tang Dynasty scholar.
Later in the Yuan Dynasty it became monastery
garden for the Dahong Temple.

 It was as large as today's garden, with numerous

trees and pavilions.
 Design
The garden contains numerous pavilions and bridges set among a maze of connected pools
and islands.

It consists of three major parts set about a large lake: the central part (Zhuozheng Yuan), the
eastern part (once called Guitianyuanju, Dwelling Upon Return to the Countryside), and a
western part (the Supplementary Garden).

In total, the garden contains 48 different buildings with 101 tablets, 40 stelae, 21 precious old
trees, and over 700 Suzhou-style penjing/penzai.

Eastern Garden Composed of a few buildings around a central great lawn and pond
combination.

The lawn is ringed by a grove of crape myrtle trees which is an allusion to the Tang Dynasty
State Secretariat which was nicknamed the Crape Myrtle Department.
Central Garden This section is composed of many scenes arranged around the
Surging Wave Pond.
  

The Master of the Nets Garden

•Located in the southeastern corner of the ancient city of Suzhou, the Master-of-Nets Garden is a
small size classical garden highlights its exquisite buildings, elegant landscape, and compact
structure.

•This exquisite garden was first designed during the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279) as part of a
residence of an official Shi Zhengzhi.

•During the Qianlong reign (1736-1795), the place fell into the hands of a man by the name of
Song Zongyuan, who converted it into a garden and gave it the present name.
.
 Design
The 5,400 m² garden is divided into east and west sections.

The eastern part consists of residential quarters, while the gardens are located in the western part.
Eastern section is the residential area it is a linear sequence of four halls one tower and three courtyards.

The western garden is an ensemble of buildings around the 334 m² Rosy Cloud Pool. Plants and rocks are
used to create views which represent several seasons. It also includes three side courts to the east and south.

The two dominant elements of the composition are the Barrier of Cloud grotto, a cypress tree dating from the
Ming Dynasty, and pine several centuries old.

The areas to the south of the Rosy Cloud Pool were used for social activities and the areas to the north were
used for intellectual activities.

The buildings are laid out in a style called close to the water which is used to give the Rosy Clouds Pool the
illusion of great size.
 Lingering Garden
With a history of more than 400 years, the Lingering
Garden is as famous as the Humble Administrator's
Garden.

The garden was first constructed in 1595 by Xu Taishi,

vice-minister of the Court of the Imperial Study of the
Ming Dynasty.

At that time, it was named Eastern Garden. Later the

garden changed hands repeatedly, and in this process,
underwent renovations and expansions on many
occasions. In 1876, it was renamed "Lingering
Garden".

The garden covers an area of 33,000

square meters, and the architectural
structures make up one third of the entire
garden and divide it into the central,
eastern, western and northern zones that
are different from each other by corridors.
 Design
•The 23,310 m2 garden is divided into four distinctly themed sections; East, Central, West, and North.

•The Central area is the oldest part of the garden. Buildings, the primary feature of any Chinese garden, occupy one
third of the total area.

•A unique feature this garden is the 700 m covered walk which connects them.

•The ensemble of structures in the central garden encircles a pond and grotto main feature. The grotto is constructed
of yellowstone granite and was created by the noted artist Zhou Binzhong.

•The Eastern section of the garden is arrayed around the cloud capped peak stone. A central courtyard is ringing by
buildings.

•Behind the Old Hermit Scholars' House is the Small Court of Stone Forest, a collection of Scholar stones and
connected minor courtyards.

•The western section is mostly natural containing only a few pavilions, a large artificial hill, and a Penzai garden.
 Built in the Qing Dynasty, it is recognized as a historical monument and carefully protected by the local government.
Huangxiu Mountain Villa
 The mountain villa is a classical garden mainly consisting of artificial hills, with an area of about 2,000 sq m.

 The artificial hills and halls make up about three fourths of the total area, and the water surface, about one fourth.

 Rockwork encircled by a pool forms the centerpiece of the entire garden.

 In the northwest of the garden stands a stonewall; in the north is the Makeup Autumn Galley; and in the northeast is
the Half-Filled Pool in Autumn - Fangshan Pavilion.

 The main peak of the rockwork rises in the southeast; and the secondary peak stands in the northwest, with water
lingering between them. The interior of the rockwork is a maze of paths, caves, running streams, stone chambers,
secluded ravines and surging peaks.

 With its imposing form arranged in a diversity of forms, this rockwork blends perfectly with the scenes in the entire
garden to evoke memory of a masterpiece of traditional Chinese landscape painting.