No gardens better reflect the ideal qualities of Chinese classical garden design than the four major gardens in the historic city of Suzhou. Recreating the world within a short distance, Suzhou gardens are recognized as a model for realizing this design idea. These gardens, built between the 16th and 18th centuries, with their exquisite designs, reflect the profound artistic conception of Chinese culture that draws on nature but transcends nature. (Evaluation of Suzhou Gardens by the World Heritage Committee)
[Edit this paragraph] Overview of Gardens
Suzhou is a famous historical and cultural city in China, known as "Paradise on Earth, City of Gardens" reputation. This place has always been famous for its beautiful mountains and rivers and elegant gardens. It is known as "the gardens south of the Yangtze River are the best in the world, and the gardens of Suzhou are the best in the south of the Yangtze River". Suzhou classical gardens "gain the pleasure of mountains and rivers without leaving the city walls, and feel like spiritual springs while living in a busy city." In 1985, Suzhou gardens were rated as one of China's top ten scenic spots.
As a world-famous historical and cultural city, Suzhou has accumulated more than 2,500 years of Wu culture. Around the 11th century BC, the local tribe named themselves "Gou Wu" and Suzhou was called "Wu". King Wu Helu established his capital here in 514 BC. Its scale and location have not changed to this day, making it rare in the world.
Suzhou is rich and beautiful, known as the "Land of Fish and Rice in the South of the Yangtze River", and is one of the first 24 historical and cultural sites announced by China. One of the famous cities. Suzhou has been the economic and cultural center of Jiangnan since ancient times. Its urban layout remains intact, its mountains and rivers are beautiful, and its natural landscape is unique. It is a famous tourist attraction. The famous Suzhou gardens use the technique of miniaturization to give people an artistic effect of seeing the big in a small way, winning Suzhou the reputation of the "City of Gardens".
The history of classical gardens in Suzhou can be traced back to the gardens of King Wu in the Spring and Autumn Period in the 6th century BC. The earliest recorded private garden was Pijiang Garden in the Eastern Jin Dynasty (4th century). Gardening flourished in the past dynasties and became famous. Many days. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Suzhou became the most prosperous area in China, with private gardens scattered inside and outside the ancient city. In its heyday from the 16th to the 18th century, Suzhou had more than 200 gardens, and now there are dozens of them that are still well preserved. As a result, Suzhou is known as the "Paradise on Earth".
As typical examples of Suzhou’s classical gardens, the Humble Administrator’s Garden, the Lingering Garden, the Master of the Nets Garden and the Huanxiu Villa were produced during the heyday of the development of private gardens in Suzhou. They are known for their profound artistic conception, exquisite construction, elegant art, and It has rich cultural connotation and has become a model and representative of many classical gardens in Suzhou. Suzhou is famous for its gardens, which make people marvel at the ingenuity of gardening. Classical gardens represented by the Humble Administrator's Garden, the Lingering Garden, the Master of the Nets Garden, and Huanxiu Villa were included in the "World Cultural and Natural Heritage List" in December 1997. In 2000, the Canglang Pavilion was added.
The Lion Grove, Couple Garden, Art Garden, and Tuisi Garden are world cultural heritage sites. Among them, Canglang Pavilion, Lion Grove Garden, Humble Administrator's Garden and Liuyuan Garden represent the Song Dynasty (960-1276 AD), Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368 AD), Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD) and Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 AD) respectively. The artistic styles of the four dynasties in Suzhou are known as the "Four Famous Gardens" in Suzhou.
[Edit this paragraph] 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. It is reflected in the naming, plaques, couplets, writing stones, carvings, decorations, as well as the meanings of flowers and trees, stacked stones to convey feelings, etc. in the garden halls. They are not only exquisite works of art that decorate the garden, but also store a large amount of historical, cultural, ideological and scientific information. , its material content and spiritual content are extremely profound and broad. Some of them reflect and spread various philosophical concepts and schools of thought such as Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism; some promote the philosophy of life and cultivate noble sentiments; and some use classical poetry and literature to embellish, develop, and exaggerate the garden landscape to make people feel happy. While enjoying the sightseeing, you can transform the scenery into emotions, produce artistic conception and gain spiritual satisfaction. The garden collects well-preserved handwritings of famous Chinese calligraphers from past dynasties, which are precious works of art and have extremely high cultural relic value.
In addition, Suzhou classical gardens are residential gardens that combine a house and a garden, and their architectural regulations reflect the lifestyle and etiquette customs of ancient Chinese Jiangnan folk. They are physical materials for understanding and studying ancient Chinese Jiangnan folk customs.
Suzhou classical gardens have always been called "literati gardens". Bai Juyi said in "The Thatched Cottage": "Cover the earth to form a platform, gather stones to form a mountain, and surround water to form a pond." This is the paradigm of literati gardens. Suzhou gardens fully embody the theme of "natural beauty". In the design and construction, various techniques such as borrowing scenes, opposing views, dividing views, and separating views are used to organize the space according to local conditions, resulting in a garden with twists and turns, a small and a large, and a mixture of virtual and real. landscape art effect. By stacking mountains and clearing water, planting flowers and trees, and arranging garden buildings, a poetic literati freehand landscape garden is formed, creating an "urban forest" in the city where humans and nature live in harmony.
Suzhou gardens are the art of time and history. The large number of plaques, couplets, calligraphy and paintings, sculptures, steles, furniture and furnishings, various ornaments, etc. in the garden are all exquisite works of art that decorate the garden, and they all contain ancient Chinese philosophical concepts, cultural awareness and aesthetic taste.
"The rain shocks the poems and leaves the banana leaves in the dream", which is a vivid portrayal of Suzhou gardens; "the sound of wind-cut calligraphy brings out lotus flowers", which is the best description of the artistic conception of the gardens. Classic windows and doors of time lead us into the "Suzhou Gardens".
[Edit this paragraph] World Cultural Heritage
Suzhou Gardens (English name: The Classical Gardens of Suzhou)
The World Heritage Committee evaluates Suzhou Classical Gardens this way: No garden better embodies the ideal quality of Chinese classical garden design than the gardens in the historical city of Suzhou, which can recreate the world within a short distance. Suzhou gardens are recognized as a model for realizing this design idea. These gardens, built between the 11th and 19th centuries, with their exquisite designs, reflect the profound artistic conception of Chinese culture that draws on nature but transcends it. The Humble Administrator's Garden, the Lingering Garden, the Master of the Nets Garden and the Huanxiu Villa among the Suzhou gardens were included in the World Heritage List in 1997 according to the cultural heritage selection criteria C (Ⅰ) (Ⅱ) (Ⅲ) (Ⅳ) (Ⅴ) In 2000, Canglang Pavilion, Lion Grove, Art Garden, Couple Garden, and Tuisi Garden were approved to be included in the World Heritage List as extension projects of Suzhou classical gardens.
1. Heritage registration process
In 1997, the Humble Administrator’s Garden, the Liuyuan Garden, the Master of the Nets Garden and the Huanxiu Villa were listed as world cultural heritage as representatives of Suzhou classical gardens.
In 2000, Canglang Pavilion, Lion Grove, Couple Garden, Art Garden and Tuisi Garden were also listed as world cultural heritage as extensions of Suzhou classical gardens.
2. Heritage registration criteria
Registered because it meets the following evaluation criteria for world cultural heritage:
(i) Represents a unique artistic achievement, a A masterpiece of creative genius;
(ii) It can have a great impact on the development of architectural art, monumental art, town planning or landscape design within a certain period of time or in a certain cultural region of the world;
(iii) It can provide a unique or at least special witness to a vanished civilization or cultural tradition;
(iv) A certain architectural style in the development of human history Outstanding examples;
(v) Serving as outstanding examples of traditional human habitation or use, representative of a culture (or cultures), especially those that become vulnerable to damage under the influence of irreversible changes .
Gardens listed as World Heritage
Humble Administrator's Garden
The Humble Administrator's Garden, together with the Summer Palace in Beijing, the Chengde Summer Resort, and the Liuyuan Garden in Suzhou, are known as the four largest gardens in my country. A famous classical garden, it is known as the "Mother of Chinese Gardens". It is now a national key cultural relics protection unit. The Humble Administrator's Garden is located in Loumen, Suzhou. It is the largest garden in Suzhou and a representative work of Suzhou gardens. It was built during the Zhengde period of the Ming Dynasty (1506-1521 AD). Most of the existing gardens were formed in the late Qing Dynasty (early 20th century AD), covering an area of ??62 acres.
The layout theme of the Humble Administrator's Garden is centered on water. The pool area accounts for about one-fifth of the total area. Various pavilions and pavilions are built near the water. The main buildings include Yuanxiang Hall, Xuexiangyunwei Pavilion, Daishuang Pavilion, Liuting Pavilion, Eighteen Mandala Flower Pavilion, Thirty-six Mandarin Duck Pavilion, etc. The architectural layout of the Humble Administrator's Garden is sparse and appropriate, cleverly conceived, and the style is fresh, elegant, simple and natural.
Canglang Pavilion
Canglang Pavilion is located in the south of Suzhou City. It is the oldest garden in Suzhou. It was first built in the Qingli period of the Northern Song Dynasty (1041-1048 AD) and in the early years of the Southern Song Dynasty. (Early 12th century AD) It was once the residence of the famous general Han Shizhong. The gardening art of Canglang Pavilion is unique. Before entering the garden gate, there is a pool of green water surrounding the garden. The main scenery in the garden is mountains and rocks. Facing an earth mountain, Canglang Stone Pavilion is located on it. There is a pool dug at the foot of the mountain, and the mountains and rivers are connected by a winding corridor. The Mingdao Hall in the southeast of the rockery is the main building of the garden. In addition, there are other buildings such as the Five Hundred Xian Temple, Kanshan Tower, Cuilinglong Pavilion, Yangzhi Pavilion and Yubei Pavilion.
Lion Grove
Lion Grove is one of the four famous gardens in Suzhou, with a history of more than 600 years. Located in the northeast of Suzhou City, it was built in the second year of Zhizheng of the Yuan Dynasty (AD 1342). Because there are many stone peaks in the park, many of which look like lions, it is named "Lion Forest". The lion forest is rectangular in plan and covers an area of ??about 15 acres. There are many and exquisite rockeries and lakes in the forest, and the buildings are scattered in an orderly manner. The main buildings include Yanyu Hall, Jianshan Tower, Feipu Pavilion, Wenmei Pavilion, etc. The Lion Forest has a clear theme, rich depth of field, distinct personality, unique rockery caves, and unique charm to every plant and tree.
Lingering Garden
Lingering Garden is one of the four famous gardens in China. The Liuyuan Garden is located outside Changmen in Suzhou City and was built in the Ming Dynasty. In the Qing Dynasty, it was called "Hanbi Villa", commonly known as "Liu Garden", and later changed to "Liu Garden". The Liuyuan Garden covers an area of ??about 50 acres. The central part is dominated by mountains and rivers, which is the essence of the whole garden. The main buildings include Hanbishan House, Mingse Building, Yuancui Pavilion Quxi Building, Qingfengchi Pavilion, etc. The Liuyuan Garden has the largest number of buildings among all gardens in Suzhou, and its outstanding spatial treatment fully reflects the superb skills and outstanding wisdom of ancient gardeners. The garden is divided into four scenic areas and ranks first among Suzhou gardens for its well-organized architectural space.
Master of the Nets Garden
Master of the Nets Garden is located in the southeast of Suzhou City. It was first built in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279 AD) and was called "Yuyin" at that time. It was rebuilt during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty (1736-1796 AD), and was renamed "Net Master Garden" based on the old meaning of "Yuyin". Master of the Nets Garden covers an area of ??about half a hectare and is the smallest garden in Suzhou. The main buildings in the garden include Cong Guixuan, Zhuoying Water Pavilion, Kansong Duhua Pavilion, Dian Chunyan, etc. All the pavilions, terraces and pavilions in Master of the Nets Garden are close to water. There is water everywhere in the garden. The various buildings are well coordinated and compact in layout. They are known for their exquisiteness and have a typical Ming Dynasty style.
Art Garden
Art Garden is a famous garden built in the Ming Dynasty. It was originally built by Yuan Zugeng, a scholar of the Ming Dynasty, and was originally named "Zuiyingtang". Later, it was renamed "Yaopu" by Wen Zhenmeng, the great-grandson of Wen Zhengming, the left minister of the Ministry of Rites in the late Ming Dynasty and the bachelor of Dongge University (equivalent to the deputy prime minister). After the fall of the Ming Dynasty, it was owned by Jiang Cai (named Jingting), a Jinshi of Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty, and was renamed "Jingting Shanfang". Later, his son Jiang Shijie changed its name to "Yipu". During the Daoguang period, it was the seat of Qixiang Gong of the silk and satin industry.
Tuisi Garden
Tuisi Garden is located in Dongxi Street, Tongli Town, Wujiang, Jiangsu Province. It is the main scenic spot of the ancient town. It was built by Ren Lanxian of the Qing Dynasty who resigned from office and returned to his hometown. It means "thinking about past mistakes", hence the name Tuisi Garden. The total area of ??Tuisi Garden is nine acres and eighty cents. This garden has changed from the previous vertical structure of the garden to a horizontal construction, with the house on the left, the courtyard in the middle, and the garden on the right. The whole garden has a compact and natural layout, combined with plant embellishments, to present the scenery of the four seasons, giving people a sense of clarity and tranquility. Tuisi Garden is simple and elegant, with more than half of the water surface, and the buildings are close to the water. The garden seems to be floating on the water. It is the only water-closed garden building in the country.
Huanxiu Villa
Huanxiu Villa is located at No. 262 Jingde Road in Suzhou City, now inside the Suzhou Embroidery Museum. This garden was originally the site of the Jingu Garden of the Qian family of Wuyue in the Five Dynasties, and became a private garden during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It currently covers an area of ??2179 square meters, including a construction area of ??754 square meters.
The landscape is dominated by mountains, supplemented by pools of water, and there are not many buildings. Although the garden is small, it is very impressive.
Coupling Garden
Located in Xiaoxingang Lane, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, it is named after the East and West Gardens. Dongyuan was built in the early Qing Dynasty and was originally called Sheyuan. It was later expanded into its current situation. The main door of the residence is in the south. You can enter the West Garden through the foyer, sedan hall, and the small door on the west wall in front of the hall. The main hall in the garden is an old house with weaving curtains. There are courtyards in the north and south, both with rockeries. There is a library in the northeast corner of the north courtyard, which is connected to the residence. It is a good example of combining the library with the courtyard. Go east from the residential hall, pass through the second floor of the small courtyard and the small living room, and reach the East Garden. The area of ??the east garden is about twice that of the west garden, with a rockery in the northwest and a pool in the southeast. The main hall at the north end, the Chengqu Thatched Cottage, is a double-eaves building with three main halls below and a double-story building above, adjacent to the residence. It is a rare example in Suzhou gardens. The yellow stone rockery in front of the hall is stacked with superb craftsmanship. It is divided into two parts: the eastern part is larger, with stone steps to climb the stone walls of the pool, and is majestic; the western part is smaller, gradually descending, with a "deep valley" between the two mountains, only more than one meter wide.
Gardens not included in the World Cultural Heritage
Quyuan/Yiyuan/Tingfeng Garden/Southern Half Garden/Northern Half Garden/Ke Garden/Zanli Garden/Tao Garden/ Wufeng Garden/Gusong Garden/Lingyan Mountain Pavilion/Chai Garden/Zhiyuan/Mu Garden/Leyin Garden/Crane Garden/Taying Garden/Smiling Garden/Puyuan/Wan's Garden/Huiyin Garden/Gu's Garden/Qiyuan (Xijia Garden) / Zilan Xiaozhu (Moyuan) / Xipu (Zhangjia Garden) / Xianglu
Gardening techniques of borrowing scenery
Visit Suzhou gardens through flower windows , the biggest attraction is the application of borrowed scenery and contrasting scenery in Chinese garden design. Chinese gardens pay attention to "different scenery with each step", and the arrangement of scenery and viewing positions are very cleverly designed. This is the main feature that distinguishes it from Western gardens. Chinese gardens try to perfectly reproduce the space and structure of the outside world in a limited internal space. In the garden, there are courtyards, terraces, pavilions, verandas and paths meandering among them. The inner and outer spaces penetrate each other, allowing smooth flow and flow. Through the lattice windows, the vast natural scenery is condensed into a miniature landscape. Inscriptions are everywhere, adding a rich humanistic flavor to the garden. The trickling clear water passes by at your feet, reflecting the scenery in the garden. The virtual and the real are intertwined, taking the viewer from the tangible real world into an infinite dream space. In terms of techniques, borrowing scenery or incorporating the beautiful scenery outside the garden into the garden through careful selection and tailoring is called distant borrowing; or using one scene to set off another scene is called mutual borrowing, etc. . This not only allows Suzhou gardens with a limited area to provide richer landscapes and deeper levels, but also greatly expands the spatial experience of viewers. From the "Yihong Pavilion" in the Humble Administrator's Garden, you can see the North Temple Pagoda outside the garden; from the flower windows of the Canglang Pavilion, you can enjoy the bamboo forest outside the house. These are commonly used borrowing techniques. You can appreciate the charm of gardens in Mr. Ye Shengtao's article "Suzhou Gardens".
[Edit this paragraph] Freehand landscape art thought
Chinese gardening art has far-reaching historical origins with Chinese literature and painting art. It was especially influenced by the freehand landscape paintings of literati in the Tang and Song Dynasties. Influence, it is a model of literati's freehand landscape simulation. In the process of its development, Chinese gardens have formed two major series, including royal gardens and private gardens. The former is concentrated in Beijing, and the latter is represented by Suzhou. Due to the differences in political, economic, cultural status and natural and geographical conditions, there are obvious differences between the two in terms of scale, layout, volume, style, color, etc. The royal gardens are famous for their grandness, strictness, grandeur, and beauty, while Suzhou gardens are famous for their grandeur, strictness, grandeur, and beauty. Gardens are famous for their small, free, delicate, elegant and artistic style. Because the latter paid more attention to the harmony and unity of culture and art, the royal gardens that developed into the late period also drew heavily on the "freehand brushwork" techniques of private gardens in terms of artistic conception, creative ideas, architectural techniques, and humanistic content.
[Edit this paragraph] Perfect living conditions and living environment
Suzhou classical gardens and houses are integrated into one, which can be admired, visited and lived in. The formation of this architectural form, In cities with dense population and lack of natural scenery, human beings are attached to nature, pursue harmonious coexistence with nature, and beautify and improve their own living environment.
The Humble Administrator's Garden, the Lingering Garden, the Master of Nets Garden, and the Huanxiu Villa are four classical gardens with complete architectural types and complete preservation. They systematically and comprehensively display the layout, structure, shape, style, color, decoration, and furniture of Suzhou's classical garden architecture. , furnishings and other aspects, it is a representative work of Jiangnan folk architecture during the Ming and Qing Dynasties (14th to the beginning of the 20th century). It reflects the high degree of residential civilization in the Jiangnan region of China during this period. It has influenced the architectural style of the entire Jiangnan city and promoted The design, conception, layout, aesthetics and construction technology of folk buildings moved closer to it, reflecting the scientific and technological level and artistic achievements of urban construction at that time. What a great historical building!
[Edit this paragraph] Rich social and cultural connotations
One of the important features of Suzhou classical gardens is that it is not only a product of history and culture, but also a carrier of traditional Chinese thought and culture . It is reflected in the naming, plaques, inscriptions, writing stones, carvings, decorations, as well as the meanings of flowers and trees, stacked stones to express feelings, etc. in the garden halls. They are not only exquisite works of art that decorate the gardens, but also store a large amount of history, culture, thought and science. The information, material content and spiritual content are extremely deep and wide. Some of them reflect and spread various philosophical concepts and schools of thought such as Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism; some promote the philosophy of life and cultivate noble sentiments; and some use classical poetry and literature to embellish, develop, and exaggerate the garden landscape to make people feel happy. While enjoying the sightseeing, you can turn the scenery into emotions, produce artistic conception and gain spiritual satisfaction. The garden collects well-preserved handwritings of famous Chinese calligraphers from past dynasties, which are precious works of art and have extremely high cultural relic value. In addition, Suzhou classical gardens are residential gardens that combine a house and a garden, and their architectural regulations reflect the lifestyle and etiquette customs of ancient Chinese Jiangnan folk. They are physical materials for understanding and studying ancient Chinese Jiangnan folk customs.
Recommended itinerary
(One-day tour of Suzhou Gardens) Departs from Hangzhou Tourism Distribution (Huanglong) Center at 6:40 in the morning, passes through the Zhejiang Exhibition Hall for individual tourists, and then takes the tourist shuttle to Suzhou , follow a local tour guide to visit the Lion Forest for 30 yuan, Panmen Scenic Area for 48 yuan, after lunch, visit the Lotus Root Garden for 35 yuan, Gusu Water Tour for 45 yuan, Hanshan Temple for 20 yuan, Tiger Hill (at your own expense) for 60 yuan, watch the Jiangnan Silk and Bamboo Performance, Zisha Pottery making, ending the pleasant trip to Suzhou, and taking the bus back to Hangzhou in the evening.
[Edit this paragraph] The article of the same name "Suzhou Gardens"
Original text
Suzhou Gardens
Ye Shengtao
It is said that there are more than 100 gardens in Suzhou, but I have been to only a dozen. I have also visited some gardens in other places. If I want to talk about the general impression, I think Suzhou gardens are specimens of gardens in various parts of my country, and gardens in various places are more or less influenced by Suzhou gardens. Therefore, if you want to appreciate our country’s gardens, Suzhou Gardens should not be missed.
Designers and craftsmen adapt to local conditions and use their own creativity to build successful gardens in different ways. However, all the gardens in Suzhou have one thing in common among their differences. It seems that designers and craftsmen are pursuing the same goal: no matter where visitors stand, there is always a perfect picture in front of them. In order to achieve this goal, they pay attention to the layout of pavilions, terraces and pavilions, the coordination of rockeries and ponds, the contrast of flowers, plants and trees, and the hierarchy of close and distant views. In short, everything must exist to form a perfect picture, and no failure that is less than beautiful or harmful to the beauty is allowed. They only hope that visitors can get the aesthetic feeling of "like being in a painting", and their achievements have fulfilled their wish. When visitors come to the garden, every visitor comes to the garden without thinking orally saying "as if they are in a painting".
Most of the buildings in our country, from ancient palaces to modern ordinary houses, are symmetrical. What is on the left is what is on the right. Suzhou gardens never pay attention to symmetry, as if they are deliberately avoided. There is a pavilion or a corridor in the east, but the same pavilion or corridor will never come to the west. Why is this? I think, using a picture as an analogy, a symmetrical building is a pattern painting, not an art painting, while a garden is an art painting, and art paintings require natural interest and do not pay attention to symmetry.
There are rockeries and ponds in Suzhou gardens. The stacking of rockeries can be said to be an art rather than just a technique.
Either there are many mountains, or there are several hills with bamboos and flowers. It all depends on the designers and craftsmen’s many experiences in life and having the valleys in mind, so that tourists can forget about the city of Suzhou and only feel like they are in the mountains when climbing. As for ponds and swamps, most of them use running water. In some gardens, the pond is spacious and the pond is used as the center of the whole garden, with other scenery arranged accordingly. If the water surface looks like a river, bridges are often placed. If more than two bridges are arranged, they should be one of a kind and never the same. The edges of ponds or rivers are rarely neatly built with stone banks, and are always left to their own devices. Also arrange a few exquisite stones or plant some flowers and plants there: this is also to achieve the effect of a painting from all angles. There are goldfish or carp of various colors in the pond, and lotus flowers or water lilies bloom in summer and autumn. Visitors can see "fish playing among the lotus leaves", which is another picturesque scene.
The planting and pruning of trees in Suzhou gardens also focus on painting. The tall trees and the low trees are pitched. There are alternating deciduous trees and evergreen trees, as well as various flowering trees with different flowering times, so you won't feel lonely all year round. There are no pines and cypresses trimmed like pagodas, and no roadside trees like military parades: because from the aesthetic point of view of Chinese painting, this is not desirable. There are ancient vines in several gardens, and their winding branches are a beautiful painting. When it blooms, the eyes are full of jewels, making visitors feel infinite prosperity and joy, but they can't express it.
When visiting Suzhou gardens, you will inevitably notice the flower walls and corridors. It is separated by walls and bounded by corridors. The more layers there are, the deeper the scenery becomes. However, there are various hollow patterns of bricks on the walls, and most of the corridors have nothing to rely on on both sides. In fact, they are separated but not separated, and they are bounded but not bounded, which adds to the depth of the scenery. Some gardens also install a large mirror at an appropriate location to add more layers, which can almost double the entire garden.
Visitors will certainly not ignore another point, which is that Suzhou gardens pay attention to the beauty of pictures in every corner. Several clusters of books and grass were planted next to the steps. The woody scent of creeper or rosewood spreads on the walls. If the window facing a white wall is too monotonous, add a few bamboo poles or plantain trees. And so on, it is nothing more than to allow visitors to enjoy the beauty even if they look at a very small area.
The doors and windows in Suzhou gardens, the pattern design and carving skills are all top-notch arts and crafts. Generally speaking, the doors and windows were as detailed as possible and never vulgar, even if they were simple but original. Four leaves, eight leaves, or twelve leaves. Taken together, everyone will admire the high degree of pattern beauty. Photographers like these doors and windows very much. They consider light and shadow to take satisfying photos.
Suzhou gardens are different from those in Beijing in that they rarely use colored paintings. The beams and pillars as well as the door and window railings are mostly painted with Guangqi, which is a color that is not eye-catching. The walls are white. The lower half of some indoor walls are paved with terrazzo tiles, contrasting with light gray and white. The roof tiles and eaves are all light gray. These colors, combined with the green of the vegetation, evoke a sense of tranquility and leisure. During the flower blooming season, all kinds of flowers are even more bright and dazzling.
Ye Shengtao (1894-1521), whose original name was Shaojun, also had the courtesy name Shengtao. A native of Suzhou, Jiangsu. Writer, educator, editor. The works are collected in "Ye Shengtao Collection"