Jiangsu Province 江 苏 省 简 介 - Suzhou 苏州市 - The Humble Administrator's Garden 拙政园

The Humble Adminstrator’s Garden in lush and distinctive garden is the largest one in the city. It used to be the residence for Lu Guimeng陆龟蒙 , a Tang-dynasty poet; while in the Yuan Dynasty it was used as the Dahong Temple大宏寺 . During the early reign of Emperor Jiajing (1522-1566), Wang Xianchen王献臣, an imperial envoy resigned and returned to his hometown. He bought the temple and converted into the Humble Administrator’s Garden. During the period 1860 to 1864, it used to be within the Prince Zhong’s residence during the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Revolution (1851-1864). Since 1949, the garden has been undergone several renovations. It has taken on a completely new look, and opened to the public since 1954. The present garden encompasses 1.867 hectares (4.67 acres), and three-fifth of the garden is taken up by water.

The garden is made up of three sections: east, west, and central. The garden in the center is the most splendid and picturesque. Tourists can sit in the Distant Fragrance Pavilion (Yuanxiangting) beside the lotus pond. Also known as the “Four-Sided” Pavilion, it is open on all sides to the garden and its many other pavilions, rockeries, and winding bridges. The bank of the lotus pond is lined with willows thus creating an atmosphere of tranquillity and seclusion. Following a winding path up a small hill and at the top, tourists will find a wood tablet upon which is inscribed “Between Mountain Flowers and Wild Birds.” There are antithetical couplets on both sides. On the left: “The forest is more peaceful while cicadas are chirping.” On the right: “The mountain is more secluded while the birds are singing.” Win Zhenming (1470-1559), a famous painter, calligrapher and litteratus of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), wrote the calligraphy. Beautiful brick carvings and relief sculptures adorn the walls of many of the structures. The subtle beauty of the garden, its lovely garden architecture and wealth of fine art capture a part of tourists’ memory.

The Humble Administrator’s Garden is one of the four famous gardens in China and the other three being the Summer Palace in Beijing北京颐和园, the Mountain Hamlet to Flee the Heat or the Imperial Mountain Summer Resort in Chengde, Hebei Province河北承德避暑山庄 , and the Lingering Garden in Suzhu苏州留园 . UNESCO has inscribed them all in the World Heritage List. The Humble Administrator’s Garden is also one of the four noted gardens in Suzhou, and the other three being Pavilion of the Surging Waves沧浪亭 , Lion Grove狮子林 , and Lingering Garden (or Garden to Linger In) 留园 .

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