Suzhou Wintersweet Garden (Mei Yuan)

Wintersweet Garden is situated at the west of the Linwu Cave in West Mountain Scenic Area, opposite of which stood Baoshan Temple, a famous scenic spot of Buddhism. It is named after several square kilometers of wintersweets.

Wintersweet Garden is connected with the natural country features of small bridge, flowing water and family house on the south of Yangtze River. There are four green themes viewing districts in the garden, which are Garden of Gentlemen, Three Friends in Cold Winter, Garden of Four Beauties and Wintersweets respectively.
In addition, the Tea House, Tablet Corridor, Exhibition of Literary and history and Leisure Grass Land are in the center. Generally speaking, the five districts of the garden pose a whole viewing ecology garden of agriculture and forest.
Name:Suzhou Wintersweet Garden (Mei Yuan)
City:Suzhou
Address:7km of Wuxi City
Admission:CNY30

Suzhou Classical Gardens

Suzhou is China’s well-known “city of gardens”, which tops all others in both the number and the artistry of gardens. Dating from Pi Jiang Garden of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Suzhou’s art of gardening has undergone a history of 1,500 years. There were once over 200 gardens in the city, and 69 of them are still in good preservation today. The concept of Suzhou classical gardens has gone beyond the city limits, since it generally refers to all those private gardens built in the regions south of the Yangtze. 　　

The Suzhou garden originated from the desire to retire from the strife of officialdom and to shun from worldly affairs. It seeks the return to Nature and the cultivation of temperament. In Taoist philosophy and the refinement of culture underlies the theme of the garden. Hills and waters, flowers and trees, pavilions, terraces, towers and halls constitute the basic garden elements, while the prominent tone is expressed in the dark colour of rooftiles, the grey of bricks, and chestnut brown of wooden pillars.

Suzhou garden is the Nature in nutshell, which enables one to “fell the charm of mountains, forest and springs without going out of the noisy surroundings of the town”. Its human interest also lies in that the architect, philosopher, poet, painter, and common folk can all find in it the idea, the flavour, the lines and the rhythm. The unfolding of the garden vistas is the verisimitude of a landscape scroll. When enjoying tea, poem, flower arrangement or playing musical instrument in the garden, one gains the most natural inspiration. To those tourists desiring to understand China, Suzhou garden is the best museum.