Suzhou, a cultural and historical city in east China’s Jiangsu Province, is celebrated around the world for its elegant gardens.
The history of Suzhou’s gardens can be traced as far back as the Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC – 476 BC). Distinctive gardens continued to appear throughout the subsequent dynasties, but it was during the Ming (1368 – 1644) and Qing (1644 – 1911) that the garden art of Suzhou was at its zenith. The prospering city and its outskirts were dotted with exquisite private gardens. Dozens of them, such as Zhuozheng (Humble Administrator’s) Garden, Liuyuan (Lingering) Garden, Wangshi (Master of Nets) Garden and Huanxiu (Embracing Beauty) Mountain Villa, are still well preserved today.
Imperial gardens and private gardens each developed their own distinctive features over many years. The imperial gardens of Beijing are considered the finest examples of that style. They are noted for their expansive size, grandeur and stateliness. The gardens of Suzhou are the epitome of landscaping art for the private garden, with their delicacy, intimacy, and simplicity. The designers of private gardens, not bound by the rigid conventions of the imperial court, had greater freedom of expression in their art.
The ancient gardens of Suzhou were designed to be lived in as much as were the houses to which they were attached. Paths invited residents and their guests to wander, offering a new view at every bend; pavilions, gazebos or simple seats offered comfortable spots in which to relax, chat, and perhaps to take some refreshments or pen a poem. This type of landscaping was often used in the densely populated cities, where residents recalled the countryside with nostalgia and yearned to commune with nature.
In 1997, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization added to its prestigious list of world cultural heritage sites.
