Suzhou's old town a cherished oasis of tranquility
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It is said Emperor Qianlong of Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) enjoyed Shantang Street and ordered two similar Suzhou-style streets constructed in Beijing in the 18th century. Both were destroyed in war, but Suzhou Street was rebuilt in the Summer Palace in Beijing.
Shantang Street in Suzhou has been repaired several times throughout the years, but retains much of its original appearance.
Tourists can reach Tiger Hill directly by bus, but walking along Shantang Street is a pleasant way to get there.
Lingering Garden
While magnificent royal gardens in China's capital reflect glory, the delicate gardens of Jiangnan (region south of the Yangtze River) often tell sadder tales of retired government officials tired of all the imperial court intrigues.
One such garden, Lingering Garden (Liu Yuan), lies behind a simple black gate in a white wall - it's easy to miss. But inside is a small paradise created with great deliberation.
That's also the case with Humble Administrator's Garden (Zhuozheng Yuan). These two Suzhou gardens are among China's Four Famous Gardens, including the Summer Palace in Beijing and the Chengde Imperial Summer Villa in Hebei Province. Lingering Garden was listed on the World Heritage List in 1997.
This garden is outside Chang Gate in western Suzhou.
It covers more than 20,000 square meters and contains residences, memorial temples and gardens.
Many tourists ask why there is such an ordinary gate for such a magnificent garden - shouldn't the entry be splendid as well?
But the intention was to build a quiet garden with an unobtrusive entrance, much like the entry to ordinary residences nearby.
The garden was built by Xu Taishi, a righteous official in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) who was impeached for offending influential officials. Then he retired and lived in seclusion, spending time only in the garden with his family.
Over the years the garden was abandoned and repaired several times by three owners before it underwent major restoration by the Suzhou government in 1953.
The name Liu Yuan was given by the third owner in the Qing Dynasty who said he wished that every beautiful scene in the garden could linger in the world forever.
After entering the plain black gate, visitors follow a long corridor that finally opens into a courtyard revealing part of the garden.
The garden contains four sections in the east, west, north and center, connected by a 700-meter-long meandering corridor.
The central part features delicate scenes of rockeries, artificial ponds and boat-like structures. The building complex in the east includes sitting rooms, pavilions and studies. The west is a natural setting with large rocks and wooded areas.
Boat-like structures are common in many classic gardens, especially those whose owners were once government officials. In Chinese culture boats often indicate successful careers.
Another typical feature of Suzhou gardens are Yuan Yang Ting or "mandarin duck reception halls" comprised of similar chambers - the larger, more magnificent and delicately decorated naturally belonging to the male/husband. The hall for the wife is comparatively much more simple.
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