Gardens of Suzhou - Garden of the Politics of the Humble Man Zhuozheng Yuan

The picturesque Garden of the Politics of the Humble Man (Zhuozheng Yuan), came into being in the 16th C, on the site of a former Buddhist monastery, to the north of the Lion Grove. The first owner, the retired minister Wang Xiancheng who named this garden, was inspired by a hermit's saying. He had said, ''the politics I indulge in as a humble man is to water the garden and plant vegetables''. His son apparently lost the garden in a game of chance. The site is divided into western, middle and eastern sections, the middle section is of particular interest to the visitor. Numerous towers and pavilions rise up on the banks of the pools, which occupy three fifths of the area, creating the impression that the whole garden is floating on water.

Directly beyond the entrance is the beginning of the eastern section. Following the visitor's route the sights are: the Orchid and the Snow Palaces, the Hill of Cloud Hunting (Zhuiyun Feng), the Pavilion of the Spring of Heaven (Tianquan Ting), the Villa of the Fragrant Journey (Shuxiang Guan) and the Pavilion of the Beautiful Landscape (Fangyan Ting). In the middle garden are several pavilions, small villas and bridges arranged around a pool, in the middle of which rises a hill.