Garden of Cultivation
Built in the Ming Jiajing era by Yuan Zugeng as “Zuiying Tang”, renamed “Yao Pu” (Herb Garden) by Wen Zhenmeng (great-grandson of Wen Zhengming), Jiang Lai's “Jingting Shanfang” in the Qing → Garden of Cultivation
Visitor info
- Opening hours
- 07:30-17:00
- Ticket
- CNY 10
Price is indicative — final quote on inquiry.
In the Ming Jiajing era Yuan Zugeng built “Zuiying Tang”; Wen Zhenmeng (great-grandson of Wen Zhengming) later renamed it “Yao Pu” (Herb Garden); bought in the early Qing by Jiang Lai and renamed “Jingting Shanfang”, it finally took shape as the Garden of Cultivation — one unbroken cultural thread through four hundred years of changing owners. Hidden down the deep lanes of Wenya Lane, the Yanguang Pavilion waterside pavilion on the pond's north side is the largest waterside pavilion among Suzhou gardens; a cup of Biluochun tea at the water's edge, with rockery and pond framed by the window, is what old Suzhou locals rate as “the number one place to drink tea in a garden.” The Ruyu Pavilion inside is a surviving Ming structure, and the Yu'ou (Bathing Gulls) courtyard hides, in one corner, the clever conceit of a “garden within a garden.” Because of its deep-lane location, visitors are few, so it is known as an “off-the-beaten-path, unspoiled” garden; admission is only CNY 10 — the top choice for dodging the crowds and soaking up a Ming-style garden atmosphere.
Getting there: Bus / by taxi (Wenya Lane)
Photos
More in Suzhou
- Humble Administrator's Garden
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- Suzhou Museum (Main Building)
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- Lion Grove Garden
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- Master of the Nets Garden
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- Canglang Pavilion
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