Suzhou is a city of gardens. The number of gardens in the city
exceeds 170, mostly private gardens built in the thousand years from
the Songsong to Qing Dynasties by officials, merchants
and scholars. Unlike the magnificient imperial gardens, the gardens
here are small and dainty, cleverly laid out and pleasing.
Suzhou is famous for its gardens of classical Chinese style.
Each garden has its own unique layout. In the construction of
some gardens, water is emphasized, with artificial hills around it,
connected with elegant corridors and pavilions. In some gardens,
bizarre rockeries dominate the scene, with creeks and ponds
encircled. Others have subtle and exquisite buildings,
displaying a diversity of architectural styles. There are inner
gardens inside a garden, offering everchanging scenes which are
full of strong oriental color, showing the characteristics of the
Chinese art of building gardens.
Many writers, poets and artists participated in the designing of the
gardens, infusing their artistic ideas into the landscaping.
Representing the best of classical architectural art of gardens in
south China, Suzhou's gardens is a symbol of China's ancient
civilization.
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