One of the four renowned gardens in Suzhou, Liuyuan, or Lingering Garden, was first built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and was rebuilt by a Qing official. Its Taihu Lake rocks boost its reputation both at home and abroad.
Occupying an area of 23,300 square meters (about 5.8 acres), the Lingering Garden is located outside Changmen Gate in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province. Originally a classical private garden, it is one of the four most famous gardens in China. Possessing typical Qing style, it is well-known for the exquisite beauty of its magnificent halls, and the various sizes, shapes, and colors of the buildings. In 1997, the garden was recorded on the list of the world heritage by UESCO.
During more recent times, the garden again fell into disrepair, not once, but twice, and was only finally restored to its former beauty by the government of the People's Republic of China. The garden had been renovated and expanded between 1873-76 by a new private owner not belonging to the Liu family, though the name Liu Yuan was preserved, but only because, in Chinese, the sound byte for the name Liu and that for "lingering" are almost identical, i.e., the garden was in fact referred to as the "Lingering Garden", though the official name was written as "Liu Yuan". Under the the People's Republic of China, the local government of Suzhou took over the garden and had it refurbished. The "Lingering Garden", as it again became, was reopened to the public in 1954.
Like other famous gardens in Suzhou, the Lingering Garden seeks to create stunning natural landscapes within limited space. In this garden, domiciles, ancestral temples and private gardens are included. Buildings, trees, and flowers blend harmoniously with their surroundings. The garden can generally be divided into four parts: the central, eastern, western and northern parts according to the style of the buildings.
Of the four parts, the central part is the essence of the whole complex. This part was the original Lingering Garden while the other three were added during the Qing Dynasty. After going through winding corridors from the gate of the garden, one reaches the central part. The central part is divided into two parts: the western part and the eastern part. The former features in pools and hills while classical buildings dominate the latter. The Celestial Hall of Five Peaks in the eastern part of the garden is the largest hall in the garden. The western part is enchanting for its natural scenery. It is a large rockery built from stacked stones and soil during the Ming Dynasty. Maples cover the hill. When all the leaves turn red in autumn, it is extraordinarily beautiful. The northern part used to be a vegetable garden, but now is used to exhibit potted plants of which the Suzhou people are quite proud.
These four parts are connected by a 700-meter (about 0.4 miles) long corridor on the wall of which calligraphy carved on the stone can be found.
Location:
it is located on No.338 Liuyuan Road, Suzhou City.
Ticket Price:
30 Yuan in low season and 40 Yuan in peak season
Opening Time:
8:00-17:30
How to get there:
visitors can take No.1, 2 or 3 touring bus, No. 54, No. 85, No. 406(former No. 6), No.7 and No.949 (former No. 49) bus to Lingering Garden.