The Gardens of Suzhou
Wednesday, April 4th, 2007Suzhou is only one hour west of Shanghai, and just happens to be the sister city of Portland, my home town. Wandering through the famous gardens of Suzhou and soaking up the zen makes a nice day trip from Shanghai, or a pit-stop for onward travel as I chose to do.
There are gardens scattered all over this huge city of six million, the two most famous being the Garden of the Humble Administrator and the Garden of the Master-of-Nets.
first while quiet and see the more popular attractions during lunch and early afternoon.
There’s no sense really in describing the gardens. You just have to go yourself and see what you think. I’ve become a huge fan of these beautiful settings among the expertly arranged buildings, ponds, bridges, and rocks. I like to wander, draw, write and nap in these peaceful places. But most of all I love the names. The Garden of the Humble Administrator brings to mind a fuedal cheif toiling his later years away creating a quaint garden. This turns out to be one of the largest Chinese gardens here, with highlights including:
The House of Sweet-smelling rice (it smelled old)
The Keep and Listen Pavilion (there was a tour group with a megaphone)
The “with whom shall I sit” Pavilion (I sat alone)
The Hall of Distant Fragrance (also smelled old)
The Listening to the Sound of Rain Pavilion (bluebird day)
Administrator