Couple's Retreat Garden
A former garden of the Yongzheng-era Baoning Prefecture prefect; rebuilt in the Tongzhi era by Shen Bingcheng — 'Couple's Garden where a good couple dwells' (Zaijiu Hall); East Garden's yellow-stone rockery (surviving Ming-era stones)
Visitor info
- Opening hours
- 08:00-17:00
- Ticket
- CNY 25
Price is indicative — final quote on inquiry.
A former garden of the Yongzheng-era Baoning Prefecture prefect; rebuilt in the Tongzhi era by Shen Bingcheng — 'Couple's Garden where a good couple dwells' (Zaijiu Hall); East Garden's yellow-stone rockery (surviving Ming-era stones); water on three sides, where 'every household pillows on the river'. In the Qing Tongzhi era, Shen Bingcheng, the Suzhou-Songjiang-Taicang Circuit Intendant, and his wife Yan Yonghua rebuilt the garden together after both retiring from office, taking the meaning 'a couple's garden for a good couple, a paired nest built in a quiet corner of the city'; one garden, one plaque, capturing the deep affection of a couple in reclusion — unique among Suzhou gardens as a 'garden of love'. The East Garden's yellow-stone rockery has been verified as surviving Ming-era stones, its piled hills rustic and vigorous; Zaijiu Hall and the Tinglu (Oar-Listening) Tower rise by the water, with the residence at the center and the east and west gardens symmetrically placed — echoing 'a fine couple in pairs'. Water borders the garden on three sides, and sculled boats drift slowly past the water lanes in front; here the Suzhou image of 'every household pillowing on the river' is at its most vivid, and in 2000 it joined the Classical Gardens of Suzhou on the World Heritage list.
Getting there: Metro Line 1, Xiangmen Station
Photos
More in Suzhou
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