Humble Administrator's Garden
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East China (华东) » Jiangsu (江苏) » Suzhou (苏州) » Gardens of Suzhou (苏州园林) » The Humble Administrator's Garden (Zhuozheng Yuan, 拙政园)The Humble Administrator's Garden (Zhuozheng Yuan, 拙政园) | |
| Address: | 178 Dongbei Street, Suzhou, Jiangsu |
| Phone: | 0512-67510286 |
| Fax: | 0512-67546631 |
| Price Range: | 50 RMB (June through Aug. and Dec. through Apr.) ~ 70 RMB (Mar. through May and Sept. through Nov.) |
| Hours: | 08:15 AM to 04:15 PM |
| Level: | AAAAA |
| Type: | Garden |
| Tourist Rating: |  |
| Short Description: | The Humble Administrator's Garden is the largest garden in Suzhou and a typical example of the art of horticulture south of the Yangtze River. |
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[edit] Description
The Humble Administrator's Garden is generally regarded the finest garden in southern China. Along with the Summer Palace in Beijing, the Mountain Resort of Chengde in Hebei province and the Lingering Garden in Suzhou, it is one of China's four most famous gardens.
The garden's scenery is focused on a central large pool with numerous pavilions, terraces, bridges, chambers and towers among a maze of connected pools and islands. The garden can be divided into three major parts: the central section, the eastern section, and the western section. All of the buildings are right next to the ponds, making the garden look like floating on the water.
Among the three sections, the central one is especially worth a visit. It centers on Yuanxiang Tang pavilion (The Hall of Distant Fragrance), named after a lotus pool nearby. Two artificial islands are linked to each other through a bridge in the lotus pond north of the pavilion.
The main structure in the western section is a hall which is separated into two parts by a large screen. The south part is the Shiba Mantuoluohua Guan Hall or 18 Camellias Hall, and the north part is the Sanshiliu Yuanyang Guan Hall or the Thirty-Six Mandarin Ducks' Hall.
The eastern section is covered with lush grasses, dense bamboo, overgrown plants and winding streams. It's centered around Lanxiang Tang, or the Cymbidium Goeingii Hall, from where you can get a complete view of the garden. Nearby Tianquan Ting, or the Celestial Spring Pavilion, named from an ancient well of sweet-tasting water, will surely attract visitors' interest.
Paired mandarin ducks, a symbol of fidelity in marraige, used to be seen in the central pool. Today, we can still see some in the fenced-off part of the pool.
[edit] History
The garden's site was originally the residence of the poet, Lu Guimen (陆龟蒙), of the Tang Dynasty, and later the site for the Dahong Temple (大弘寺) during the Yuan Dynasty. In 1509, an administrator named Wang Xianchen (王献臣) of the Ming Dynasty bought the site, and hired the renowned Ming painter/artist Wen Zhengming (文征明) to design the architecture. Mr. Wen first found that the site was too wet and soft to build many structures on it. So he decided to center on the water feature and its natural landscape including small forests, hills and rock formations. He first constructed the central pool by digging the pool and piling the subsequent dirt into artificial hills and islands. Later he built many pavilions, halls and parlors along the pool. It took 16 years to complete the garden.
After Wang Xianchen's death, his son gambled away the whole garden in one night's gambling. And it has changed hands many times since.
The garden was remodeled extensively with major modifications to its earlier plan in the Qing Dynasty (1644 to 1912). When Taiping troops occupied Suzhou in 1860, the garden and the neighboring buildings (the present Historical Museum) was a residence of King Zhongwang and the center of his political activities.
[edit] Photos
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[edit] Videos
| Humble Administrator's Garden |
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[edit] What to see
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[edit] Direction
Public bus line #2 & #3 and Tourism Bus #1, #2 and #5 stop at this garden.
[edit] Fees/Hours
- 50 RMB (June through August; and Decemter through April)
- 70 RMB (March through May; and September through November)
- Opens from 08:15 AM to 04:15 PM
[edit] Activities
[edit] Events
The garden hosts the annual Azalea Festival and Lotus Festival in spring and summer. There are bonsai shows in the Penjing Yuan, or Bonsai Garden, in the western section, and stone shows in the Yashi Zhai, or Elegant Stone House, in the central section every year.
[edit] Other Local Attractions
- Cold Mountain Temple Monastery (Hanshan Si, 寒山寺) (distance 1)
- Hall of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing Dian) (distance 2)
- Duobao Ta Pagoda (distance 3)
[edit] Area Hotels
[edit] Restaurants
- Restaurant #1 (distance 1)
- Restaurant #2 (distance 2)
- Restaurant #3 (distance 3)
[edit] Shops
[edit] Businesses
- Business #1 (distance 1)
- Business #2 (distance 2)
- Business #3 (distance 3)
[edit] Transportation
- Transportation #1 (distance 1)
- Transportation #2 (distance 2)
- Transportation #3 (distance 3)
