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Monday, 07 April 2008 |
 Humble Administrator's Garden
The house and garden then changed hands repeatedly during the next few centuries, with alterations and additions made to the garden, so what remains today is an amalgam built around the core of the early 16th-century garden. The site was originally a swamp and when Wang Xianchen first constructed the garden he used the water to create lakes, making islands with the spoil.
The garden was the same size as it is today but simpler, although containing pavilions and trees as well as the carefully contrived water and stones.
In the latter stages of the Ming dynasty (1368-1650), about 100 years after the garden was built, it was divided into three sections with the western and central parts becoming the villas of government officials. However, when the Ming dynasty was replaced by the Qing dynasty, the garden was repaired and modified, especially in the early years of the 18th century.
About 70 years later, under Emperor Qianlong, it was divided into two parts: the western end becoming Shu Youan, the Book of Study Gardens, and the eastern becoming Fu Yuan, the Restored Garden. What the modern visitor sees is essentially this late Qing stage of the garden, although it was not until 1949 that the eastern portion was joined to the centre.
The buildings are all original but have been, and still are being, heavily restored. We arrived at 6am on a very grey, cold day, just as the darkness became a struggling half-light. |
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Last Updated ( Monday, 07 April 2008 )
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Tuesday, 26 June 2007 |
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The scenic city of Suzhou in east China's Jiangsu Province has imposed a quarrying ban to maintain its image as an idyllic place. Granite stones quarried in Suzhou are so well-known throughout the country for their fine quality that they were used to build the Memorial Hall of Mao Zedong and the Monument to the People's Heroes in Tian'anmen Square. It is estimated that four million tons of stone are quarried each year bringing over seven million yuan of profit, enough to make the local towns prosperous. However, local authorities found that the loud noises and dust from the quarries do not suit Suzhou's image as a paradise on earth. To compensate local workers for their losses, the government has allocated 365 million yuan to help them develop agriculture, such as planting of flowers and fruit trees, and freshwater aquiculture. |
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Last Updated ( Monday, 02 July 2007 )
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Saturday, 21 April 2007 |
Suzhou Map |
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 21 April 2007 )
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