During my years working in Beijing, I gradually realized how small I am. I often felt overwhelmed by the people and things around me. When my work performance was completely out of whack, I would think about the most peaceful place I had been – Suzhou. I would always easily think of those beautiful gardens, those plants, those buildings. Only in that moment was my heart calm. Finally, I went.
I spent six days alone in Suzhou and visited about ten gardens. Looking back, I still prefer Canglang Pavilion, Lotus Garden and Yipu Garden. These three gardens share the characteristics of simplicity and exquisiteness, among which Yipu Garden is the most elegant. I like to listen to the rustling sound of bamboo in Canglang Pavilion, watch couples in Lotus Garden, and enjoy a day of leisure in Yipu Garden.
Visiting “gardens” in Suzhou is the first choice for people, but not many viewers can truly describe their beauty and appreciate the rich cultural connotations of Suzhou gardens.
Suzhou gardens have gone through 2500 years of history. They originated from the royal gardens of the King of Wu during the Spring and Autumn Period, developed in the Tang and Song dynasties, and reached their peak in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Suzhou gardens can be roughly divided into three types: royal gardens, temple gardens and private gardens.
Here I only talk about Yipu Garden. In early May, spring was not over and summer had not yet arrived. It was just in time for the roses in Yipu Garden to bloom. Maybe a few days later the flowers would have withered. Yipu Garden is hidden in a deep alley in Suzhou and is not easy to find. Walking in the alleys of Suzhou, I had already “forgotten the distance”. The process of entering Yipu Garden was very much like the discovery of Peach Blossom Spring by the people of Wuling. In the “Peach Blossom Spring”, it is said that “the grass is fresh and beautiful, and the fallen flowers are colorful”. I turned left and right into a narrow alley, and saw a wall covered with vines and blooming roses. In the secluded path, I saw a round archway, “as if there were light”. After entering the gate, “it suddenly became bright”.
The roses that were blooming on the mottled white walls, which had been eroded by the passage of time, and the green plants that were paired next to the flower windows, were a picture.
The flower windows are a major characteristic of Suzhou. This one is the most ordinary flower window I have seen. The flower windows in Suzhou gardens have endless patterns and rich and colorful content. They are like a vibrant pattern, “a scene at every step”. Flower windows – one of the architectural mysteries! Tourists only need to see it occasionally, and their eyes will instantly fix on it. This is the beauty of Suzhou gardens!
This flower window is relatively exquisite. The patterns on the flower window look a little old.
Sometimes I wonder, how can you visit a garden without any regrets? If you see yourself as a friend of the owner, and today you are visiting Yipu Garden at the invitation of the owner, the feeling will be very different. In the midst of the clamor of tourists, try to experience the owner’s lifestyle: sit on the artificial hill in the Shuangshuang Pavilion and listen to the sound of the wind blowing through the pines and cypresses, lean against the Linyushui pavilion and experience the joy of “If you are not a fish, how can you know the joy of a fish?” “If you are not me, how can you know that I do not know the joy of a fish?”, observe a round moon reflected in the pool in the Xiangyue Corridor…..
I ordered a cup of green tea and sat in the Yanguang Pavilion by the pond. I ate some snacks and fruit. The soft sunlight fell on my face, not at all dazzling. I watched the fish swim in the pool. I sat there for a few hours, listening to the locals chat about this and that… There is nothing more pleasant than this.
This kind of leisurely lifestyle is just an ordinary weekend life for the people of Suzhou.
Suzhou gardens truly become cultural and artistic appreciation when you enter a state of emptiness, discard the superficial, and achieve harmonious unity between artistic thought and artistic thought. Experience its cultural and artistic beauty, its profound artistic beauty, and receive cultural refinement and true beauty.
Since you’ve come to Suzhou, how can you miss the local cuisine? I am from the north, and southern food is lighter and I am not used to it, but it is really delicious. The clam meat tofu is fresh, and the boss is said to get up at 4 a.m. every day to prepare fresh ingredients. You can also come and try it if you have the chance!
Chuanding Garden was the private residence of Liu Bowen, a prominent figure in the early days of the Ming Dynasty. By the early days of liberation, the buildings in the garden were dilapidated. The current Chuanding Garden was rebuilt for the development of tourism, and it is another privately contracted garden attraction, with chaotic management. It is not recommended to go.
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