In the 37th year of Emperor Jiaqing’s reign of the Ming Dynasty, the middle-aged Yuan Zugeng, the vice surveillance commissioner of Zhejiang Province, resigned office and returned to his hometown. Upon a ruined property, the man built his own garden residence. On the door header he carved four characters meaning “a wooded mountain in the city”. He gave this residence the name “The Hall of Delights” (Zui Ying Tang). The garden was later inherited by his son Yuan Xiaosi, who was once appointed as the head official of the ministry responsible for the royal family’s varied supplies. After Yuan Xiaosi’s death, the garden gradually declined into a deserted one.
During the last few years of Emperor Wanli’s reign of the Ming Dynasty, the Vice Prime Minister of Wen Zhenmeng, the great-grandson of Wen Zhengming, took the garden as his home and cultivated a herb garden there. Therefore, the Hall of Delights was renamed as “Herb Garden” (Yao Pu). In the 17th year of Emperor Shunzhi’s reign in the Qing Dynasty, the Ming-Dynasty surviving official Jiang Cai, a native of Laiyang, Shandong Province, chose to exile himself in Suzhou. Thanks to Zhou Maolan, one of Wen Zhengmeng’s in-laws, Jiang Cai was allowed to take residence in the Herb Garden. The man changed the name of the place to the Garden of Repose (Yi Pu). Later he did some renovation and added a few houses, after which he decided to call the garden “Donglai Cottage” (Dong Lai Cao Tang), or alternatively “Jingting Lodge” (Jing Ting Shan Fang). Jiang Cai even wrote the article “The Story of the Garden of Repose” to make a record of these events. His son Jiang Shijie extended the garden and changed its name to “the Garden of Cultivation”. Inside the garden, a pond is built at the centre. North of the pond, the Longevity Pavilion (Yan Guang Ge) overlooks the clear water. On the southern bank of the pond lie jagged rocks in the company of luxuriant trees. The structure of the Small Fish Pavilion (Ru Yu Ting) on the east side can be dated back to the Ming Dynasty. Even today, the visitor may enjoy colorful paintings of the Ming Dynasty on the girders of the pavilion. West of the pond perches the Water Grass House (Qin Lu), where the garden owner used to do his reading. It is so delicate and refined that it is known as a masterpiece of classic courtyards.
The simple and spacious layout stressing primitive naturalness makes the garden stand out among the classic gardens in the city. It largely retains the layout and style in the Ming Dynasty, featuring elegance, seclusion and the sense of spaciousness. Such a design bears traces of the influence from the Wu painting school on the art of gardening. The garden is a rare example today to demonstrate the combination of a literati impressionistic garden and humanistic spirit unique to the period of the 16th to the 17th centuries.
Address: No.5, Wen Ya Lane, Suzhou
Contact:
Postcode: 215003
Tel: 0512-67271614
Ticket price: RMB10
Opening hours: 7:30~17:30 ( March 1 to October 31 ); 7:30~17:00 (November 1 to April 28 in next year )
Ticket sales will stop half an hour before the garden closes
Transportation: Passengers can take buses No.33, 204, 313, 88, 301, 933, 262 to Children’s Hospital (Jingde Road) Station , then walk to Wen Ya lane
Notice: In order to create a harmonious and beautiful scenic spot with safety and order, we work out this tourist guide according to Suzhou Regulations on the Management of Landscape and Famous Scene, Suzhou Regulations on Protection and Management of Gardens and other relevant laws and regulations.
1. Tourists must conscientiously abide by the laws of the State and the regulations and rules of the province and the city, maintain public order and observe common courtesy.
2. Please purchase a ticket or show your valid identification; Please get into the garden after ticket-checking in the entrance.
3.Please protect the resources in the area. The following behaviors are forbidden: pulling down, breaking off the flowers or trees; picking the fruits; climbing or crossing the rookery and guardrails; trampling on the lawn; doodling on the trees or the bamboos.
4. Smoking and naked flame（except for some special place or activities) are not allowed in the scenic area; Please do not take equipment like barbecue furnaces into the garden.
5. Lethal weapon, flammable, radioactive and other hazardous items are not allowed to carry into the garden according to Regulations on Administrative Penalties for Public Security; The following behaviors are forbidden: making a lot of noise; fights; picking a quarrel and making trouble; entering of exotic vehicles;
6.The following behaviors are forbidden: setting up stands without permission; engaging in business activities or selling wares to tourists; tour-guiding without permission.
7.Please dress neatly and keep to the timetable of the garden; The following behaviors are forbidden: taking pets into the garden; swimming or fishing in the garden(except for some special activities)
8.“the Annual Card for Suzhou Gardens ” is only available to the owner himself in the daytime, it is not transferable or redeemable; Those who lend the card to other people will lost the certification to buy the Annual card.
9.Any kind of tour activities regarding films, TV programs and advertisements should not be carried out without permission.
