Gardens of Suzhou - Garden of Lingering Liuyuan

The 3ha/7acre Garden of Lingering (Liuyuan) in the west of the city was laid out by a Mr Liu in 1800 on the site of a park of the Ming period (1368-1644); it is joined to the neighboring West Gardens. With the Garden of the Humble Administrator, the Summer Palace in Beijing and the Imperial residence in Changde it enjoys special protection as one of the most famous garden complexes of China.

The garden is certainly the most beautiful in Suzhou. It boasts a pool, several buildings, a man-made hill and a grove of peach trees. Particularly impressive is the pool with its surrounding pavilions and hills. Across the water leads a covered pathway on the walls of which hang over three hundred stone tablets engraved with old characters.

Also noteworthy are the delightful carvings in the Yuanyang and Wufengxian Halls.

A peculiarity is the Cloud-high Summit (Guanyun Fen), a 7m/22ft high Taihu stone.