The Master-of-Nets Garden

The Master-of-Nets Garden

The Master-of-Nets Garden

The Master-of-Nets Garden, a representative of the middle size classical water home garden in Suzhou featuring artistic characteristics and cultural value is built in 1174, and it is the national key relics protection unit and the world culture heritage.

Covering an area of about 10 hectares, among which the garden and forest 8 hectares and inner garden 5 hectares, the Master-of-Nets Garden is an ideal choice for you to have a visit as you can experience the plain and neat elegant breath, quiet and beautiful atmosphere here. The total area is less than 1/6 of that of The Humble Administrator’s Garden, but you will view the clear and rigorous distribution of it as there are gardens inside gardens and scenery outside scenery, exquisite, deep and quiet. Though there are a plenty of architectures there, you won’t feel crowded, and the mountain pools are small, you will also not have the feeling of narrow.  The exquisite overall arrangement, the compact construction, and the coordinate space scale ratio of the Master-of-Nets Garden make it famous and a best place worthy your visit.

The Master-of-Nets Garden

The Master-of-Nets Garden

The Master-of-Nets Garden is divided into three parts: east part which is residences, middle part which is main garden and the west part which is inner garden. When visiting here, you can appreciate the pretty mould of those architectures, small and exquisite, especially those small, low and penetrating pavilions around the pool. Being pure and fresh and appealing, the Master-of-Nets Garden is a famous and successful scenic spots for its outstanding theme, compact layout, dedicated elegance and artistic effect.

Information for travel: 1) Opening time: 8:00a.m.-17:00p.m. and 17:00 p.m.-22:00 p.m. 2) Ticket price: 20 RMB/adult in the slack season and 30 RMB/adult in the peak season. 3) Best time to visit: Spring time as all plant are waking up at that time. 4) Suggestion duration: 2 hours. 5) Ways to go there: Take the city buses No. 2, 202 and 529.

Lion Grove Garden

Lion Grove Garden, with a history of more than 650 years, is one of the four famous gardens in Suzhou. Located in the northeast of the downtown in Suzhou, the Lion Grove Garden covers an area of 1.1 hectares, of which 0.88 hectare is for opening area. It was listed as the relics protection unit in Suzhou in 1982.

Lion Grove Garden

Lion Grove Garden

The Lion Grove Garden is characterized by all kinds of cultural landscape including classic garden pavilions, platforms, towers, halls and corridors. It is also famous for lakes, mountains, strange stones and deep cave gully. It even has been honored as the “Rockery Kingdom.”

Lion Grove Garden

Lion Grove Garden

The artificial hills in the Lion Grove Garden are undulate for their peaks and the momentum are strong and grand. They look dainty and exquisite. There are 9 paths for the rockery group and 21 cave entrances, whose lateral part are winding and vertical side ups and downs. When you pass through the caves, you will feel it hovers right and left and get to the peak at this moment and the next munite will go to the valley bottom—so challenging. You will have great fun there.

Lion Grove Garden

Lion Grove Garden

Walking in the Lion Grove Garden, appreciating the unique architectures, the bamboo in the forest, the strange stones under the bamboo which look like the lions, you will have a relaxable mood when climbing the artificial hill here.

Travel information: 1) Ticket price: 30 RMB/adult in peak season from 16th April-30th October and 20 RMB/adult in slack season from 31st October -15th April. 2) Opening time: 9:00 a.m.-17:00 p.m. 3) Duration: 1-2 hours. 4) Best time to go there: Spring time. 5) How to get there: type one: take the No.5 or No.2 city bus from bus station or railway station and get off in the Lion Grove Garden stop; type two: take the No.1, 101, 102 public buses in the south railway station stop to the Guanqian Street and then change to the No.3 or No.5 bus to the Lion Grove Garden. 6) Delicious food nearby: Guanqian Street just 20 minutes walk away.

Lingering Garden

Lingering Garden

Lingering Garden

Lingering Garden, located in the Jiangnan ancient town Suzhou, is a famous Chinese classical garden for its exquisite arrangement of the inner garden construction and numerous astonishing stone. Together with Suzhou Humble Administrator’s Garden, Chengde Summer Resort and Beijing Sumer Palace, they are named “the Four Famous Gardens in China”. The Lingering Garden was listed as one of the national key relics protection units in 1961, and the World Cultural Heritage in 1997, and even AAAAA level scenic spots in 2001 together with the Humble Administrator’s Garden and Tiger Hill in Suzhou.

The Lingering Garden is divided into four parts, where you can experience four kinds of different scenery of mountain and water, fields and gardens, mountain forest and courtyards. Its middle part is decorated with the water view which is the essence of the whole garden. Its east part, however, will attract your attention by its winding yards and corridors, where you can view several pavilions, and there are three rocky crags standing in the back of the water pool in the yard, among which the middle one is called the Guanyun Capped Peak, others called the Ruiyun Capped Peak and Xiuyun Capped Peak. Its north part is characterized by the countryside scenery and new built bonsai garden. Its west part is the highest among the whole garden, where you will enjoy the wild field fun, spectacular artificial hills, reciprocally separated stones and earth, which look so natural.

Lingering Garden

Lingering Garden

When you have a travel here, you will find the constructions of the gardens divide it into several sections, and there are various types of windows for each building, and each window is different which can connect with the view from other windows so as to enable you to have a birds’ eyes view of all pictutes consisting of mountain, water, flower and trees when you are enjoying the scenery from the indoor windows.

Travel tips: 1) Opening time: 7:30a.m.-17:00p.m. 2)Ticket price: 40RMB/adult in the peak season from 16th April to 30th October and 30 RMB/adult in the slack season from 31st October to 15th April. 3) Best time to visit: Spring time when you will appreciate the scroll painting of the poetic scenery there. 4) Suggestion for visiting duration: 3 hours.

Humble Administrator’s Garden

Humble Administrator's Garden

Humble Administrator’s Garden

Humble Administrator’s Garden, the representative of te gardens in the Jiangnan area in China, is the classical landscape garden with biggest area among the gardens in Suzhou. Covering an administrated area of about 83 hectares and opening area of about 73 hectares, the Humble Administrator‘s Garden has been listed as the national key relics protected units and Cultural World Heritage by the UNESCO in 1997. Being an AAAAA level attraction spot, the Humble Administrator‘s Garden the classically private and luxury garden in China.

Humble Administrator's Garden

Humble Administrator’s Garden

Enjoying the reputation of “ the Model of the Whole Gardens”, the Humble Administrator’s Garden is as famous as Chengde Summer Resort, Lingering Garden and the Summer Palace in Beijing, and it possess 4 honors as follows: the head of the four big famous gardens in China, the national key relics protected unit, one of the national special tour stops and World Cultural Heritage. Architectures of the Humble Administrator’s Garden are mostly built in Xianfeng Empire in Qing Dynasty, whose layout contains the fun of mountain island, bamboo dock, matsuoka and winding river.

Humble Administrator's Garden

Humble Administrator’s Garden

There are composed of 3 sections: the middle small garden, the east small garden and the west small garden, among which the middle section is the main attraction of the Humble Administrator’s Garden whose area covers 18.5 hectare. Traveling here, you will find the scenery is so captivating as this middle garden set the water pool as its center and pavilions are built by the water, some are straight out of the water, which shows the feature of the Jiangnan water country—so beautiful.

Travel information: 1) Opening time:7:30a.m.-17:30p.m. 2) Ticket price: 50 RMB/adult in the slack season from 31st October to 15th April and 70 RMB/adult in the peak season from 16th April to 30th October; Ways to go there: take the city buses line , 2, 5, 202, 313, 923, 529, 40, 78 to the Humble Administrator‘s Garden stop and walk at east for about 100 meters. 4) Duration: 2 to 3 hours. 5) Best time to visit: each season will be fine as it features differently beautiful scenery in different seasons. 6) Azalea festival in every year’s spring in about middle March to late May, when you can appreciate hundreds types of precious rhododendron.

Zhouzhuang Water Town

Zhouzhuang Water Town

Zhouzhuang Water Town

Zhouzhuang Water Town, located in 38 kilometers southeast of Jiangsu city center, 33 kilometers southwest of Kunshan city center and 70 kilometers away from Shanghai city with about 1.5-hours-drive, is a famous water town in Jiangnan area with 900 year. Featuring one thousand years vicissitudes of life and strongly gloomy Wu culture inoculation, the Zhouzhuang water town has been the treasure of the Asian culture for its delicately beautiful water landscape, unique human landscape and simple folk customs. Moreover, as an outstanding representative of the Chinese excellent traditional culture, the Zhouzhuang Water Town has also been the cradle of the Wu culture and the model of the Jiangnan water towns.

Zhouzhuang Water Town

Zhouzhuang Water Town

Being the No.1 water town in China, the Zhouzhuang has got various awards listed as follows: 1) It has been listed in the world cultural heritage ready list of the United Nations; 2) The Best practices award of the Dubai international of the United Nations to improve living environment; 3) Outstanding Achievement Award of the cultural heritage protection of the United Nations in the Asian-Pacific region; 4) The most Charming Water Town in the World; 5) One of the 50 places worthy the foreigners’ a visit in China; 6) One of the ten scenic spots in China preferred by the Europeans; 7) The first Chinese famous historical cultural town; 8) The famous town with beautiful environment in China; 9) China’s famous tourism brand; 10) National AAAAA level scenic spot.

Zhouzhuang Water Town

Zhouzhuang Water Town

Travel tips: 1) Opening time: 8:00 a.m.-21:00 p.m. 2) Ticket price: 100 Yuan during 7:00–16:00 and 80 Yuan during 16:00-21:00; 3) Duration: one day; 4) Best time to visit: every season will be suitable, but just avoid those holidays in china; 5) Ways to go there: type one: take a flight to Shanghai and then take bus through the 318 national highway and Shangzhou highway to Zhouzhuang; Type two: go through the Huning highway whose entrance at Kunshan and pass by the Kunzhou highway to Zhouzhuang; Type three: Go through the Huhang highway whose entrance is at Jiaxing and go by the 318 national highway and Shangzhou highway to your destination; Type four: take train to Shanghai, Suzhou or Kunshan and then take bus to Zhouzhuang. 6) DIY tour from Shanghai to Zhouzhuang: take the coach from Shanghai bus station in north district whose time are 6:50; 9:00; 12:00; 14:20; 16:50 with about 2 hours drive.

Tiger Hill

tiger hill

tiger hill

Being a AAAAA level scenic spot, the Tiger Hill is located in the northwest city countryside with 5 kilometers always from the city center. Covering plenty of ancient tall trees, the Tiger Hill is decorated by various beautiful scenery. It totals about 36 meters high and covers an area of more than 300 hectares, moreover, it shows its best features: the spectacular rocks, magnificent and changeable prospect, Tiger Hill Tower with thousand years, and other fantastic views to all of its travelers. It has been a saying that it will be a regret without going to the Tiger Hill for you Suzhou tour. Yes, that is right, your tour to Suzhou won’t be perfect if you miss the Tiger Hill.

There are so many beautiful scenery for you to enjoy when traveling in Tiger Hill, among which the Tiger Hill Pagoda and Sword Pool are the most famous. The Tiger Hill Pagoda features more than 1,000 years and it is the second Leaning Tower in the world. Simple and unsophisticated, grand and peculiar, it has been the symbol of the ancient Suzhou. For the Sword Pool, secluded, strange and mysterious, it has the riddle with thousand years about the Wu emperor and the beautiful legend about the God and Goose, you will enjoy oneself so much as to forget to leave.

tiger hill

tiger hill

Enjoy the reputation of “ the No.1 Scenic Spot in Wuzhong Area”, the Tiger Hill is decorated by beautiful scenery and culture landscape with long history. The Wanjing mountain villa in the east foothill of the Tiger Hill collects the essence of the bonsai of the Su style. Decorated by the mountain light and the tower shadow, it shows a excellent view which is like a painting. It really worth your visit.

Travel information: 1)Opening time : 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. 2) Ticket price: 40 Yuan/ adult in slack season from 31st October to 15th April and 60 Yuan/ adult in peak season from 6th April to 30th October. 3) Duration: 2-3 hours. 4) Best time to visit: Summer time as the  bamboo is so hair-chested as to protect you from the sun. 5) Ways to go there: Take the city buses line 1, 2, 3, 949, 146 and 316 to the south gate of the Tiger Hill; take the No. 32 and 36 to the north gate.