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Set in a picturesque town in one of China's most beautiful areas, the magnificient ancient gardens of Suzhou are the perfect blend of nature, art and intellect.
Suzhou is known as “Venice of China” because of its picturesque town beside the waterways and rich cultural legacies. In the old time, especially the Ming Dynasty, the city was an economic and cultural center. The beautiful natural sceneries of the city together with its prosperity attracted people of all classes, who in turn contributed to its glory. The wealth of Suzhou allowed its citizens to enjoy an elegant and artistic life which is reflected in the magnificient classical gardens. There were once about 300 gardens in Suzhou, 69 of them are still in good condition today. The four most famous ones are The Surging Waves Pavilion, The Lion Grove Garden, The Humble Administrator's Garden and The Lingering Garden representing the styles of Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. The formations of the Suzhou gardens is exquisite and has great influence. It is said that the Beijing court recruited Suzhou architects to create the gardens of the Forbidden City. Japanese landscaping art is also believed to have been influenced by Suzhou style. The Suzhou gardens are masterpieces of classical Chinese landscaping. They are the perfect balance of nature and the personal taste, of natural and artificial elements. They seem to be untouched by human yet at the same time characterized by their owners' styles. That special feel is created by following the Feng Shui principles. Each element's position was arranged to produce the desired effects and the highest harmony. The artificial objects were designed so that they would not subdue but enhance the surrounding nature. The marks of the owners are in the theme and decoration topics. In the Couple's Retreat Garden, everything comes in pair depicting the love between the couple while in The Humble Administrator's Garden, the arrangement expresses the wish to lead a quiet untroubled life of a retired official. The Suzhou gardens are Chinese artistry, intellect and craft combined. As the designers were the intellectual, who were well educated in literature and art, the themes, the decorations and the names of the gardens have strong cultural and literary flavour. The themes and decoration topics were traditionally inspired by classic poems or legends. The trees and flowers were chosen not only for their beauty but also their symbolic meanings and literary associations. For example, the lotus represents virtuous people who are unstained by the corrupted environment around as the beautiful lotus strives to rise from the dirty mud. Then all those fine designs would be materialised into real gardens by the first-rate craftsmen of Suzhou. The gardens reflect the pursuit of beauty and tranquility of ancient China's upper class, especially the scholars. To have a garden means to create one's own world separated from the hectic and sometimes polluted outside. In a garden everything is beautiful, pure and close to Nature. The poetic qualities of the classical gardens made them the perfect background for refined cultural activities loved by the Chinese like reciting poems, admiring calligraphy, drinking tea or listening to the Kun opera. The gardens themselves are pieces of art that one would love to enjoy. The Suzhou gardens have truly captured the soul of the traditional Chinese culture in which Nature and Beauty are prized. References: http://english.cctv.com/program/travel http://www.chinavista.com/suzhou
The copyright of the article Classical Gardens of Suzhou in China Travel is owned by Minh Tran. Permission to republish Classical Gardens of Suzhou in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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