Q&A about Suzhou Gardens

Suzhou Gardens: Suzhou Gardens refers to the garden architecture in the city of Suzhou, China, mainly private gardens, began in the Spring and Autumn period of the state of Wu built the capital of Gusu (514 BC), formed in the Fifth Generation, matured in the Song Dynasty, thriving in the Ming Dynasty, flourished in the Qing Dynasty. By the end of the Qing Dynasty, Suzhou had more than 170 gardens of various colors, and now there are more than 60 well-preserved gardens and 19 gardens open to the public. The gardens cover a small area, but they are characterized by their mood, and they are arranged in limited space with unique artistic techniques, changing the scenery with each step, and the changes are endless.In 1997, the classical gardens of Suzhou, as the representative of Chinese gardens, were inscribed on the World Heritage List. Suzhou Gardens Suzhou is a famous historical and cultural city in China, known as "Paradise on Earth, City of Gardens". It has always been famous for its beautiful landscapes and elegant gardens, and is known as "the most beautiful gardens in the south of the Yangtze River, and Suzhou's gardens are the most beautiful in the south of the Yangtze River". Suzhou classical gardens "not out of the city and get the pleasure of the landscape, living in the city and the spring of the cause", in 1985, Suzhou Gardens was named one of China's top ten scenic spots.

As a world-renowned historical and cultural city, Suzhou has been steeped in Wu culture for more than 2,500 years. Around the 11th century BC, the local tribes called themselves "Gou Wu", and Suzhou was called "Wu". In 514 B.C., King Helu of Wu built his capital here, and its scale and location have remained unchanged, which is rare in the world.

Both lakes and mountains, smoke and waves of the momentum, but also the poetic charm of the Jiangnan water town of small bridges and flowing water - known as "Jiangnan fish and rice country," known as the rich and beautiful Suzhou, is one of the first batch of China's 24 announced historical and cultural cities. Since ancient times, Suzhou has been the economic and cultural center of the south of the Yangtze River, the city pattern remains intact, the mountains and waters are clear, the natural landscape is unique, is a famous tourist attraction. The famous Suzhou Garden adopts the technique of shrinking the scenery, giving people the artistic effect of seeing the big in the small, which has won Suzhou the reputation of "the city of gardens".

The history of Suzhou's classical gardens can be traced back to the 6th century B.C. during the Spring and Autumn Period when the king of Wu's garden, private gardens were first documented in the Eastern Jin Dynasty (4th century) of the Paijian Garden, and through the generations the gardening industry has flourished, with more and more famous gardens. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Suzhou became the most prosperous area in China, with private gardens spreading all over the ancient city and beyond. 16 to 18 centuries, Suzhou had more than 200 gardens in its heyday, and dozens of them are still well preserved now, which has made Suzhou known as the "paradise on earth".

The Humble Administrator's Garden, the Liouyuan Garden, the Net Master's Garden and the Huanxiu Villa, as typical examples of Suzhou's classical gardens, were created in the heyday of the development of Suzhou's private gardens, and have become the models and representatives of Suzhou's classical gardens because of their far-reaching moods, exquisite construction, elegant art and rich cultural connotations. Suzhou is famous for its gardens, which make people marvel at the ingenuity of horticulture. In December 1997, the classical gardens represented by the Humble Administrator's Garden, the Liouyuan Garden, the Lion's Nest Garden and the Huanxiu Villa were inscribed on the World Cultural and Natural Heritage List. In 2000, the Canglang Pavilion, Lion Grove, Couple Gardens, Art Garden and Retreat Garden were added to the list of World Cultural Heritage. Among them, Canglang Pavilion, Lion Grove, Humble Administrator's Garden and Liouyuan Garden represent the artistic style of the Song Dynasty (960-1276 AD), Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368 AD), Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD), and Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 AD), and they are known as Suzhou's "Four Famous Gardens". [Garden Culture One of the important features of Suzhou gardens is that it is not only a product of history and culture, but also a carrier of traditional Chinese thought and culture. Suzhou gardens The naming of the garden halls, plaques, couplets, books and stones, carvings, decorations, as well as flowers and trees symbolize the meaning of the stacked stones to send a message, etc., is not only a beautifully embellished works of art, while storing a large number of historical, cultural, ideological and scientific information, its material and spiritual content is extremely deep and wide. Among them, there are reflecting and spreading the philosophical concepts of Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism and other philosophical schools of thought; there is to promote the philosophy of life, cultivate noble sentiments; there are also with the help of classical poetry and literature, the garden landscape embellishments, hair, rendering, so that people in the habitat of the tour and enjoyment of the scenery as the mood, resulting in the beauty of the mood, to obtain the spirit of fulfillment. The well-preserved handwritings of famous Chinese calligraphers of the past dynasties in the garden are precious works of art with high cultural relic value. In addition, Suzhou classical gardens as a residential garden of the first residential garden, and its architectural system reflects the ancient Chinese folk living in the south of the living and resting relatives of the lifestyle and etiquette of customs, is to understand and study the ancient Chinese folklore of the south of the physical data.

Suzhou classical gardens have always been called "literati gardens". Bai Juyi said in the "Cao Tang": "Cover the soil for the platform, gather the fist stone for the mountain, around the water for the pool", which is the paradigm of the literati garden. Suzhou Garden fully embodies the main theme of "natural beauty", in the design and construction, the use of local conditions, borrowed scenery, scenery, scenery, scenery, scenery and other techniques to organize space, resulting in the garden in the twists and turns, small in the big, virtual and real landscape art effect. By stacking mountains and water, planting flowers and trees, configuration of garden buildings, the formation of a poetic literati landscape garden, in the city to create a harmonious relationship between man and nature in the "city of mountains and forests".

Suzhou garden is the art of time, the art of history. Garden in a large number of plaques, couplets, paintings, carvings, monuments, furniture, furnishings, ornaments, etc., are not embellished with the garden of exquisite works of art, all contain the ancient Chinese philosophical concepts, cultural awareness and aesthetic taste.

"Rain scares the dream of poetry to banana leaves", which is a vivid portrayal of Suzhou Garden; "wind carrying the sound of books out of the lotus root flower", which is the best description of the mood of the garden. A side of the classical window, a door of the years, leading us into the "Suzhou Garden". [World Cultural Heritage The Classical Gardens of Suzhou (English name: The Classical Gardens of Suzhou)

The World Heritage Committee evaluates the classical gardens of Suzhou in this way: there are no gardens that embody the ideal qualities of classical Chinese garden design better than those in the historic city of Suzhou, where a Qiankun is recreated within a stone's throw. Suzhou gardens are recognized as exemplary of the realization of this design philosophy. Built between the 11th and 19th centuries, these gardens, with their elaborate designs, reflect the depths of Chinese culture, which draws on nature but transcends it. The Humble Administrator's Garden, the Liouyuan Garden, the Master of the Nets Garden and the Huanxiu Villa, among Suzhou's gardens, were inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1997 in accordance with Criterion C (Ⅰ) (Ⅱ) (Ⅲ) (Ⅳ) (Ⅴ) of the Cultural Heritage Selection Criteria, and the Canglang Pavilion, the Lion's Grove, the Yipu, the Couple's Garden, the Retreating Garden, as an expansion of the classical gardens of Suzhou, were approved for inscription on the World Heritage List in 2000.

1. The process of heritage inscription

In 1997, the Humble Administrator's Garden, the Liouyuan Garden, the Garden of the Masters of the Nets and the Huanxiu Villa were inscribed on the World Heritage List as representatives of Suzhou's classical gardens.

In 2000, the Canglang Pavilion, the Lion Grove, the Couple's Garden, the Garden of Arts and the Retreat Garden were also listed as World Heritage Sites as extensions of the classical gardens of Suzhou.

2. Criteria for Heritage Registration

Registered because it meets the following assessment criteria for World Heritage Sites:

(1) it represents a unique artistic achievement, a masterpiece of creative genius;

(2) it can have a disproportionate impact on the development of the art of architecture, the art of monumentalism, town planning or landscape design over a certain period of time or in a certain cultural region of the world (3) provide a unique, or at least exceptional, testimony to a vanished civilization or cultural tradition;

(4) be an outstanding example of a particular architectural style in the historical development of mankind;

(5) serve as an outstanding example of a traditional place of human habitation or use, and be representative of a culture or cultures, especially in the context of irreversible change. culture, especially when rendered vulnerable to the effects of irreversible change.

World Heritage-listed Gardens

The Humble Administrator's Garden

The Humble Administrator's Garden, along with the Summer Palace in Beijing, the Summer Resort in Chengde, and the Garden of Reunion in Suzhou, are known as China's four most famous gardens, and are regarded as the "mother of all Chinese gardens". Now for the national key cultural relics protection units. The Humble Administrator's Garden, located in Loumen, Suzhou, is one of the largest gardens in Suzhou and a masterpiece of Suzhou gardens, which was built during the Zhengde period of the Ming Dynasty (1506-1521 A.D.). It was built during the Zhengde period of the Ming Dynasty (1506-1521 A.D.). Most of the existing garden features were formed at the end of the Qing Dynasty (early 20th century A.D.), and it covers an area of 62 acres. The theme of the layout of the Humble Administrator's Garden is centered on water, with the pond water area accounting for about one-fifth of the total area, and various pavilions and pavilions built near the water. The main buildings are Yuanxiang Hall, Xuexiang Yunwei Pavilion, Waiting for Frost Pavilion, Stay Listening Pavilion, Eighteen Mandala Flower Pavilion, Thirty-six Mandarin Ducks Pavilion, etc. The layout of the Humble Administrator's Garden is sparse and spacious. The architectural layout of the Humble Administrator's Garden is sparsely arranged and skillfully conceived, and the style is fresh and elegant, simple and natural.

Canglang Pavilion

Canglang Pavilion is located in the south of Suzhou, is the oldest garden in Suzhou, was built in the Northern Song Dynasty during the Qingli period (1041-1048 AD), and in the early years of the Southern Song Dynasty (the beginning of the 12th century), it was once the residence of the famous general Han Shizhong. The Canglang Pavilion is unique in its gardening art, with a pool of green water around the garden before entering the gate. Inside the garden, rocks and mountains dominate the landscape, and an earthen hill faces the pavilion, on which the Canglang Stone Pavilion is situated. There is a pond under the mountain, and a winding corridor connects the mountain and water. The Mingdao Hall in the southeast of the rockery is the main building of the garden, and there are also five hundred famous sages, watch the mountain building, Cui Linglong Pavilion, Yangzhi Pavilion and the Royal Monument Pavilion and other buildings to set it off.

Lion Grove

Lion Grove is one of the four famous gardens in Suzhou, with a history of more than 600 years. Located in the northeastern part of Suzhou, it was first built in the second year of the reign of Yuan Zhizheng (1342 AD). Because of the garden stone peaks, more like a lion, so the name "Lion Grove". Lion Grove plane is rectangular, an area of about 15 acres, the forest of lakes and rocks rockery and exquisite, architectural distribution of staggered, the main buildings are YanYuTang, see the mountain building, waterfall Pavilion, ask MeiGe and so on. The lion forest theme is clear, the depth of the scene is rich, the personality is clear, the wigwam cave unique, a grass and a tree has a charm.

Liuyuan

Liuyuan is one of the four famous gardens in China. It is located outside the Gate of Heaven in Suzhou City and was first built in the Ming Dynasty. During the Qing Dynasty, it was called "Hanbi Mountain Villa", commonly known as "Liu Yuan", and later changed to "Liou Yuan". Covering an area of about 50 acres, the central part of the garden is dominated by landscapes, which is the essence of the whole garden. The main buildings are Hanbi Mountain House, Mingse Building, Yuancui Pavilion Quxi Building, and Qingfeng Pond House, etc. The number of buildings in the Garden is among the highest in Suzhou. The number of buildings in the garden is the highest among all the gardens in Suzhou, and its outstanding spatial treatment fully reflects the high skill and excellent wisdom of the ancient gardeners. The garden is divided into four scenic areas, with the proper handling of architectural space and the top of the Suzhou gardens.

Net Master's Garden

Net Master's Garden is located in the southeastern part of Suzhou City. It was built in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279 AD), and was called "Fishing Hidden" at that time. It was rebuilt during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty (1736-1796 AD), taking the old meaning of "Fisherman's Retreat" and renamed as "The Garden of the Master of the Nets". Covering an area of about half a hectare, it is the smallest of the Suzhou gardens. The main buildings in the garden are Conggui Xuan, Maundyashui Pavilion, Watching Pines and Reading Paintings Xuan, and Temple Spring Yiyi. The pavilions and pavilions of the garden are all near the water, and the whole garden has water everywhere, and all kinds of buildings are well coordinated and compactly laid out, which is characterized by sophistication, and has a typical style of the Ming Dynasty.

Yipu

Yipu is a famous garden built in the Ming Dynasty. It was originally built by Yuan Zugeng, a scholar of the Ming Dynasty, and was first called "Drunken Ying Hall", and was later renamed "Medicine Garden" by Wen Zhenmeng, the great-grandson of Wen Zhengming, the left minister of the Ministry of Rites and a university scholar of the East Cabinet at the end of the Ming Dynasty (equivalent to the vice-minister of the prime minister). After the death of the Ming Dynasty, in the early Qing Dynasty for the Ming Chongzhen scholar Jiang Li (No. Jing Ting) all, renamed "Jing Ting Mountain Room", after his son, ginger real festival renamed "art garden". To the Daoguang period for the silk industry seven Xiang Gongshuo location.

The Retreat Garden

The Retreat Garden is located in Dongxi Street, Tongli Town, Wujiang, Jiangsu Province, and is the main scenic spot of the ancient town. It was built by the Qing Dynasty's Ren Lanxian, who was dismissed from his post and returned to his hometown, and was called the Retreat Garden for its meaning of "Retreating to think about the past". The total area of the Retreat Garden is nine acres and eight minutes. This garden has changed the vertical structure of the previous gardens into a horizontal construction, with the house on the left, the court in the center, and the garden on the right. The whole garden is compact and natural, combined with plant embellishments, presenting a four-seasonal scenery, giving people a sense of clarity and tranquility. The Retreat Garden is simple and elegant, with more than half of the water surface, the buildings are close to the water surface, and the garden is like floating on the water, which is the only water garden building in China.

Huanxiu Villa

Huanxiu Villa is located at No. 262, Jingde Road, in the center of Suzhou city, in the present Suzhou Embroidery Museum. This garden is the five generations of Wu Yue Qian's Jingu Park site, Ming and Qing Dynasties became a private garden. It now covers an area of 2,179 square meters, of which the building area is 754 square meters. The garden scenery is mainly mountains, supplemented by ponds and water, and there are not many buildings. Although the garden is small, it is very powerful.

Couple of Gardens

Small Xingang Lane in Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, because there are two gardens in the east and west, so the name. East garden was built in the early Qing Dynasty, originally known as Shibuyuan, and then expanded into the current situation. Residential door in the south, through the foyer, sedan chair hall, to the hall before the west wall of the small door, you can enter the West Garden. The main hall in the garden for weaving curtains old house, north and south of each courtyard, are placed in the rockery. Northeast corner of the north garden has a library, and residential connected, is a better example of the combination of the library and the courtyard. From the residence hall to the east, through the small courtyard and small living room, that is, to reach the East Garden. The East Garden is about twice the size of the West Garden, with a stone rockery in the northwest and a pond in the southeast. The north end of the main hall of the City Curve Cao Tang, for a heavy eaves building, under the main hall of three rooms, on the heavy floor of the complex road, and residential adjoining, for the rare case of Suzhou gardens. The yellow stone rockery in front of the hall is skillfully stacked. Divided into east and west: the eastern part of the larger, stone steps can be climbed to the pool stone wall, the momentum of the craggy; West is smaller, gradually down, between the two mountains for the "deep valley", only one meter wide.

Gardens not included in the World Heritage List

Quyuan Garden/Yiyuan Garden/Listening to the Maple Garden/South Half of the Garden/North Half of the Garden/Keyuan Garden/Remnant Pellet Garden/Taoyuan Garden/Wufengyuan Garden/Ancient Pine Garden/Lingyan Mountain Pavilion/Chaiyuan Garden/Planting Garden/Muyuan Garden/Leiyuan Garden/Heyuan Garden/Taingyuan Garden/Laughing Garden/Portland Garden/Wan's Garden/Huiyunyuan Garden/Gu's Garden/Qiyuan Garden (Xijia's Garden)/Zilan Xiaoyu (Silk Garden) /Xiepu Garden (Zhangjia's Garden) /Xianglu
Garden Garden) / Xianglu