Deutsch English Home About us Travel information Suggestion Contact us online-booking Impression Testimonial.Beijing Chengdu Chongqing Dali Datong Dunhuang Guangzhou Guilin Guiyang Hangzhou Hohhot Hongkong Kashgar Lhasa Lijiang Luoyang Nanjing Tsingdao Qinghai Shanghai Suzhou Turfan Urumqi Wuhan Xi'an Zhangjiajie Suzhou Grand Canal The Grand Canal (Da Yunhe) proper cuts to the west and south of Suzhou, within a 10km range of the town. Hop off the bus once you find yourself a nice bridge on which you can perch and watch the world of the canal float by. Peaking yourself for too long could make you the main tourist attraction. Zhouzhuang Set in countryside 38km south-east of Suzhou, Zhouzhuang offers a step back in time into what is believed to be the first water town of China. Established over 900 years ago, Zhouzhuang boats 14 bridges and over 60% of its buildings are from Yuan, Ming, Qing dynasties. Zhouzhuang also has a huge tourism industry and is extremely popular with Chinese tourists yet surprisingly untouched by those from abroad. Despite the crowds, a day in Zhouzhuang is definitely worthwhile. The cobbled lanes of the Old Town are pedestrianised and picturesque, confirmed by the many pictures seated alongside the canals. Many of the locals continue to go about their day, sitting on their steps and making lace or fishing in the canals with cormorants.North Temple Pagodas The Beisi Ta is the tallest pagoda south of the Chang Jiang (Yangzi River)-at nine storeys it dominates the northern end of Renmin Lu. You can climb it for a fine aerial view of the town and the farmland beyond, where tea, rice and wheat are grown. The factory chimneys (the new pagodas of Suzhou) loom on the outskirts, hovering within the haze and smoke they create.The temple complex goes back 1700 years and was originally a residence. The pagoda has been burnt, built and rebuilt. Made of wood, it dates from the 17th century. Off to the side is Nanmu Hall, which was rebuilt in the Ming dynasty with some of its features imported from elsewhere. There is a teahouse with small garden out the back.Humble Administrator’s Garden Many consider this to be one of Suzhou’s best gardens, second only to the Wangshi Yuan (Garden of the Master of the Nets).Dating back to the early 1500s, this garden’s 5 hectares feature streams, ponds, bridges and islands of bamboo. There’s also a teahouse and a small museum that explains Chinese landscape gardening concepts. In the same area are the Suzhou Bowuhuan and several silk mills.Lion Grove Just around the corner from the Zhuozheng Yuan, this I hectare grove was constructed in 1350 by the monk Tian Ru and other disciples as a memorial to their master, Zhi Zheng. The garden has rockeries that evoke the forms of lions. The walls of the labyrinth of tunnels bear calligraphy from famous chisels. Garden of the Master of the Nets This is the smallest garden in Suzhou-half the size of the Canglang Ting and one-tenth the size of the Zhuozheng yuan. It’s small and hard to find, but well worth the trouble as it’s better than all the others combined.This garden was laid out in the 12th century, abandoned, then restored in the 18th century as part of the residence of a retired official. According to one story, he announced that he’d had enough of bureaucracy and would rather be a fisherman. Another explanation of the name is that it was simply near Wangshi Lu. The eastern part of the garden is the residential area originally with side rooms for sedan-chair lackeys, guest reception and living quarters. The central part is the main garden. The west part is an inner garden where a courtyard contains the Dianchun Yi (Spring Rear Cottage), the master’s study. This section and the study, with its Ming-style furniture and palace lanterns, was duplicated and unveiled at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 1981.A miniature model of the whole garden, using Qingtian jade, Yingde rocks, Anhui paper, Suzhou silk and incorporating the halls, kiosks, ponds, blossoms and rare plants of the original design, was produced especially for a display at the Pompidou Centre in Paris in 1982.The most striking feature of this garden is its use of space. Despite its size, the scale of the buildings is large, but nothing appears cramped. A section of the buildings is used by a co-operative of woodblock artists who find the peaceful atmosphere congenial to work.Garden for Lingering In Extending over an area of 3 hectares, Liu Yuan is one of the largest gardens in Suzhou, noted for its adroit partitioning with building complexes.The garden dates from Ming dynasty and managed to escape destruction during the Taiping Rebellion. A 700m covered walkway connects the major scenic sports, and the windows have carefully selected perspectives. The walkway is inland with calligraphy from celebrated masters and the garden has a wealth of potted plants. There is also a rock from Tai Hu located outside Yuanyang (Mandarin Duck Hall); at 6.5m high you couldn’t miss it if you tired.Cold Mountain Temple One kilometer west of the Liuyuan, this temple was named after the poet-monk Hanshan, who lived in the 7th century. It was repeatedly burnt down and rebuilt, and was once the site of lively local trading in silk, wood and grain. Not far from its saffron walls lies the Grand Canal. Today, the temple holds little of interest except for a stele by poet Zhang Ji immortalizing both the nearby Maple Bridge and the temple bell (since removed to Japan). However, the fine walls and the humpback bridge are worth seeing.Tiger Hill In the far north-west of town, Huqiu Shan is extremely popular with local tourists. The hill itself is artificial, and is the final resting place of He Lu, founding father of Suzhou. He Lu died in the 6th century BC and myths have coalesced around him-he is said to have been buried with a collection of 3000 swords and to be guarded by a white tiger.Built in the 10th century, the leaning Yunyan Ta (Cloud Rock Pagoda) stands atop Huqiu Shan. The octagonal seven-storey pagoda is built entirely of brick, an innovation in Chinese architecture at the time. The pagoda began tilting over 400 rears ago, and today the highest point is displaced over 2m from its original position.Home, About Us, Travel Information, Suggestion, Contact Us, Online-booking, Impression, Testimonial and professional tour guide. Please contact us! All rights reserved

Beijing	Chengdu	Chongqing	Dali	Datong	Dunhuang	Guangzhou	Guilin	Guiyang
Hangzhou	Hohhot	Hongkong	Kashgar	Lhasa	Lijiang	Luoyang	Nanjing	Qingdao
Qinghai	Shanghai	Suzhou	Turfan	Urumqi	Wuhan	Xi'an	Zhangjiajie

Suzhou

Humble Administrator's Garden
Humble Administrator's Garden

Humble Administrator's Garden located inside Loumen Gate was established in the Ming Dynasty. Water covers one-third of the garden area. Around the water are Yuanxiang Hall, Nanxuan, Chengguan Building, Fucui Pavilion, Yiliang Pavilion, Jianshan Building, Xiaofeihong, etc. There is not a single pillar blocking the view in Yuanxiang Hall. Xiaofeihong is a bridge with a verandah, whose reflection in the water looks like a rainbow.

As an exemplary work of classic gardens in southern China and one of the four famous gardens in Suzhou, it was built in 1509. Wangxianchen gave the garden this name, meaning humble Administrator's Garden, because it wasbuilt after he was dismissed from the imperial court.

The design makes good use of the natural terrain. This five-hectare garden is centred on a pond and includes pine forests, hills, bamboo groves and meandering streams.The yuanxiang (Distant Fragrance) Hall inthe middle section is surrounded by numerous scenic interests, such asponds, rocks and pavilions. Looking through the hall windows,thebeautiful things unroll before your eyes just like a Chinese landscapepainting.

Lion Grove (Shizilin) Garden

Lying in the northeast of Suzhou city, Shizilin Garden is another of the four renowned gardens in Suzhou. Famous for stones and rockeries, Shizilin is actually a stone forest, where there are many deep caves connected by a winding path. Around the garden is a long verandah, on the wall of which there are 67 carved stones.

Shizilin(lion Grove) was built in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) by Monk Tian Ruto commemorate his master, Monk Zhong Feng. The garden's name came from the rocks' resemblance to lions.

Covering just over one hectare, Lion Grove, Suzhou, is adjacent to Zhuozhengyuan. Its lakerockeries of various shapes and sizes are so famous that it is reputed the "kingdom of rockeries". Qing Emperor Qianlong once paid a visit toLion Grove and was impressed by the intricate labyrinth of caves there.Delighted, he wrote the inscription "Really Interesting". The buildingsin Lion Grove are representative works of the Yuan-dynasty architecture.

Lingering Garden

Lingering Garden located outside Changmen Gate in Suzhou City is one of the four renowned gardens in Suzhou. "Wufeng Xianguan" of the garden is also called "Nanmu Hall" in which there are different kinds of rarely seen furnishings made of nanmu. Mandarin Duck Hall is divided into two parts by a meticulously carved partition.There are varieties of doors and windows in other structures.

Tarrying Garden, 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. the core of the two-hectare garden is a pond, with hills to the northwest and buildings to the southeast responsible for a goodmany of the contrasting effects. The eastern section features mainlyhalls and courtyards. The imposing Wufengxian (Five-Peak immortals)Hallis the largest hall of all the Suzhou gardens. The western section isdotted with vegetation whereas the northern section is reminiscent of apeaceful countryside.

Net Master (Wangshi) Garden

Wangshi Garden lying in the south of Suzhou City was built in the Song Dynasty. The garden is compactly laid out: halls in the east, rockeries, ponds, pavilions and verandahs in the middle and a study in the west. Mingxuan Building in New York Metropolitan Museum, USA, is an imitation of Wangshi Garden (Net Master Garden)

Also called fisherman’s Garden, this 0.6-hectare garden is anelegant structure of a typical official's residence of the Qing Dynasty. The present garden is found on the former site of a Song dynasty official’s mansion. Its owner, an early Qing-dynasty official Song Zongyuan, gave its present name based on the earlier one,"Fisherman’s Retreat". Wangshi Garden consists of a residential quarter and the garden proper. Inside the refined residential quarter, the halls are linked closely by a corridor. The garden, petite but substantial, is focused on a pond and decorated with plants, rocks, pavilions, and stone bridges. Wangshi Garden is especially fancied by overseas visitors and is praised as the most ornate and intact privategardens in Suzhou. Some tourists even offer a huge amount of money to buy it.

Tiger Hill

The 36-metre-tall Huqiu (Tiger Hill) stands outside the lümen Gate to the northwest of Suzhou. It was where the King of the State of Wu,Fu Chai, He Lü‘s son and successor, buried his father along with 3,000swords. Legend has it that on the third day after the burial, a white tiger appeared to guard the tomb, hence the name of the hill. Midway up the hill beside the Qianren (Thousand Men)Rock, there is the rectangular crystal-clear Sword pond flanked by sheer cliffs. It issaid that both Qin Shihuang, the first emperor of Qin Dynasty (221-207B.C.), and Sun Quan of the Three Kingdoms Period (220-280), had sent peole to look for the swords by digging into the hill but no avail.The Sword Pond is believed to result from the digging. According to therecords, the door of He Lü’s tomb was revealed once when the pond wentdry. Archaeologists speculated that the tomb is right below the TigerHill Pagoda. This pagoda, first built in the Five Dynasties Period, isan octagonal seven-storey structure. Since the Ming Dynasty, it startedtilting northwards, which could have something to do with the tomb’sstructure.

The Yunyan Temple, another key attraction on the hill, is one of the most famous Buddhist land in this part of China. Even Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty could not resist its peaceful ambience so he decided to make the temple his temporary residence during his Suzhou trip.

Hanshan Temple

Hanshan Temple situated near Fengqiao Bridge to the west of Suzhou City was first established in the Liang Dynasty. Through the years, the temple had undergone several rounds of destruction and restoration. The existing one is a late-Qing architecture work. It is said that Han Shan and She De, monks of the Tang Dynasty, used to live here: hence the name Hanshan Temple. The present temple was rebuilt after the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. The poet of the Tang Dynasty Zhang Ji's famous poem "Night Anchoring beside Fengqiao Bridge" refers to this place. In the middle of the temple is the main hall of Buddha. On either side of the hall there is a verandah. The verandah on the right side leads to the bell tower.

Zhouzhuang

Zhouzhuang is a town in Jiangsu province, China. It is located within Kunshan county-level city, 30 km southeast of Suzhou.

Zhouzhuang is a popular touristic destination. It is one of the most famous water townships in China, noted for its profound cultural background, the well preserved ancient residential houses, the elegant watery views and the strong local colored traditions and customs. It has been called the "Venice of the East".

In the Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC-476 BC), Zhouzhuang was a part of the fief Yaocheng and called Zhenfengli. After being donated to Full Fortune (Quanfu) Temple by Zhou Digong, a very devout Buddhist, in 1086 during the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), Zhouzhuang got its present name as a memorial of the donor.

In an area of half a square kilometer (124 acres), 60 percent of the Zhouzhuang's structures were built during the Ming and Qing dynasties, which is from 1368 to 1911.