Humble Administrator's Garden (Zhuozheng Garden)

Humble Administrator's Garden Suzhou Gusu District, No. 178 Northeast Street. It is called the four famous parks in China, with Suzhou Lingering Garden, Beijing Suhe Garden and Chengde Mountain Resort. It has the longest history and is a typical representative of China's private garden in Jiangnan. The whole park is divided into three parts: East Garden, Middle Garden and West Garden, and the residential part is now the Garden Museum Exhibition Hall. During the Ming Dynasty: in 1509, the imperial history king Xianchen began to prepare for the Humble Administrator's Garden, and in 1513 the original was completed. In 1631, the criminal minister Shilang Wangxin bought the eastern wasteland of the park to build the park, and in 1635 it was built "returned to the pastoral residence", which is now the eastern district of the Humble Administrator's Garden. Qing Dynasty period: 1653, after the Qing soldiers entered Suzhou, the Humble Administrator's Garden was occupied as a barracks and horse farm, and the later Yizhu, in 1860, the Taiping Army attacked Suzhou, and Li Xiucheng He Humble Administrator's Garden was built in the west and the Zhongwang Mansion. In 1937, the Japanese bombed Suzhou and the Humble Administrator's Garden was damaged. In 1951, the Humble Administrator's Garden was placed under the management of the Cultural Relics Administration Committee of the Southern District of Jiangsu and was fully repaired. In 1952, the central and western areas were opened to the public. In 1960, the restoration and construction of the whole park was completed. Dongyuan: an area of about 31 mu, mainly Pinggang Yuanshan, Songlin Lawn, Zhuwu Qushui, there are rockery, pool, pavilion, etc. The main architectural attractions are Lanxuetang, Furong, Tianquan Pavilion, Zhuyunfeng and so on. Zhongyuan: It is the essence of the Humble Administrator's Garden. The pool water area accounts for 1/3, mainly water, and the pool is wide and lush. The main attractions are Yuanxiangtang, Xiangzhou, Hefeng Simen Pavilion, Jianshan Building, Xiaofeihong, Liyuan, etc. Xiyuan: The pool is curved in shape, characterized by the taiguan stand-off, the corridor is undulating, the reflection of the water wave, not interesting, gorgeous and beautifully decorated, the main building is close to the side of the residence of the six halls, there are reflection buildings, stay listening pavilion, tower shadow pavilion, etc. Architectural style: with strong Jiangnan Han water town characteristics, to elegant, natural, exquisite, the park building with white walls, gray tiles, chestnut columns as the main characteristics, and the surrounding landscape environment integrated, pavilions scattered, Quqiao corridors such as clouds and flowing water, dense and beautiful, It combines the elegantness of the Ming Dynasty garden with the exquisiteness of the Qing Dynasty garden.

The garden is very large. I have been here for many years. At that time, many places can go. This time I came with my parents. Many places are surrounded. There are indeed many people. In terms of the garden, there are fewer people. It will be more beautiful.

Historical and cultural heritage: Humble Administrator's Garden was built in the Ming Dynasty, and Wen Zhengming and other participating designs carry a rich historical and cultural connotation. Walking in the garden, you can feel the life fun and aesthetic pursuit of ancient literati. ​ Kunqu Performance: When you visit Humble Administrator's Garden at night, you can enjoy the wonderful Kunqu performance. Tactile singing, beautiful body, echoing in the antique garden, people seem to cross back to ancient times.

The Humble Administrator's Garden is the most typical Jiangnan garden in Suzhou. Its scenery varies throughout the year. Although it is now midwinter, the scenery in the garden is still beautiful, with tourists coming in an endless stream and flowers blooming one after another. It is a must-visit place when visiting Suzhou.

The Humble Administrator's Garden is a place worth visiting once. This Jiangnan garden gem, built in the Ming Dynasty, stands quietly in the northeast street of Suzhou ancient city with the reputation of "the mother of the world garden". As the largest classical landscape garden among China's four famous gardens, it used 500 years of time to condensate the wisdom of the artificial garden into a three-dimensional ink roll . Walking in the garden, every step is poetic. The Yuanxiangtang in the central garden frames the summer lotus in the pool with the "borrowing scenery" method, and the residual lotus and reflection in winter form the natural ink painting of the pavilion; Xiaofeihong covered bridge such as the rainbow lying wave, connecting the pavilions on both sides of the east and west; The blue glass windows of the Liuxu Pavilion dye the bamboo shadow into emerald, interpreting the flowing theater of the four seasons of light and shadow. More than 150 landscapes in the park are all hidden in the ingenuity of the ancients to "recreate clean within easy reach", moving to change the scene, as if through time and space and Wen Zhengming and other garden master dialogue. As a United Nations-certified world cultural heritage, Humble Administrator's Garden not only carries the spiritual pursuit of ancient Chinese literati, but also through carefully designed tour routes, so that modern tourists can feel the exquisite garden art in the 2-3 hour walk. Enjoy the seagulls in spring, the lotus leaves in summer, the sweet-scented osmanthus in autumn, the snow falling and moths in winter, and the four-hour scenery is poetic and painting. Adjacent to the Suzhou Museum and the historical and cultural district of Pingjiang Road, it is a must-visit place to experience Jiangnan culture in depth. For first-time visitors, Humble Administrator's Garden is not only a scenic spot, but also an aesthetic enlightenment through time and space. There are both visual feasts for people to stop, and cultural thickness worth tasting. Whether it is a photographer who loves traditional architecture and a traveler who is intoxicated with Oriental aesthetics, Or looking for urban people who live in the slow life of the city, you can find your own garden story here. This living museum is worth becoming a page for everyone's trip to the south of the Yangtze River.

The Humble Administrator's Garden was built in the Ming Dynasty in the four years (1509), and was built after the return of the Ming Dynasty imperial history king Xianchen due to the disappointment of the officialdom. He selected the place that was the former site of Daxu Temple in the Tang Dynasty and began the construction of the garden. When he was built, he took the meaning of "this self-defeating person is the government" in Pan Yue, a literary writer in the Jin Dynasty, and named the garden "the Humble Administrator's Garden". This name expresses his feelings about the loss of the way, and also places his yearning for the return to life. The garden layout of the Humble Administrator's Garden includes three parts in the middle, east and west. The east: mainly Pinggang Yuanshan, Songlin Lawn, and Zhuwu Qushui, bright and cheerful. The middle: The essence of the Humble Administrator's Garden is located, the pool water area accounts for 1/3, mainly water, the pool is wide and the trees are lush, and the scenery is natural. Waterfront is arranged in different shapes, high and low buildings, the main and the secondary. Western: the pool is curved, the Taiwan Hall is divided, the corridor is undulating, the water wave reflection, the decoration is gorgeous and exquisite, the main building is the six-story hall near the residential side. Yuanxiangtang in the garden: As the main building in the middle of the Humble Administrator's Garden, Yuanxiangtang was built on the former site of Ruoshutang, which is a four-sided hall of Ming Dynasty structure. Each side is equipped with long glass windows, and you can enjoy the scenery on all sides of the hall. It is especially famous for the summer. Xiangzhou: For the "sloppy" structure, there are two floors of cabin, elegant and free. Its posture reflects the water, more beautiful and elegant, is an important landscape in the garden. Xiaofeihong: It is a rare covered bridge in Suzhou gardens, which spans the water and connects both sides of the Straits, providing tourists with a unique viewing experience. Lotte four-sided pavilion: Located in the west island of the pool, the six-point pavilion in the southwestern part of the island, there is no wall around, you can enjoy the beauty of lotus flowers here, feel the summer breeze ~ face the mountain building: is a Jiangnan style residential building, the upstairs Ming tile window maintains the simple wind. Going upstairs to overlook the garden, you can have a panoramic view of the garden. With whom to sit: this is a fan pavilion, the two fan-shaped empty windows on the wall on both sides of the fan, facing the "reflection building" and "the six-story hall", and the back window is just reflected in the mountain pavilion, the top cover of the pavilion is just matched to a complete fan, the design is clever and engaging. The Six-Bedroom: As one of the main buildings in the west, the Six-Bedroom is known for its unique architectural style and important historical status. The building was a venue for the owners to feast and listen to music at the time, and the hall was well furnished.

As night falls and the lights come on, the Humble Administrator's Garden has shed the hustle and bustle of the day and is covered with a mysterious and gentle veil. Walking through it, it is like stepping into a flowing ink painting. The interweaving of light and shadow interprets the charm of the classical garden to the fullest. The flowers and trees in the garden have a unique style in the night. The tall trees are transformed into ink silhouettes with vigorous and powerful outlines; the low flowers and plants are either delicate and gorgeous or plain and elegant under the light. The faint fragrance drifts with the wind, and the faint fragrance of flowers and the breath of plants are intertwined, refreshing and intoxicating.

Suzhou is definitely worth a visit! This famous city in the south of the Yangtze River, which has been soaked by the Grand Canal for thousands of years, is like a box of finely carved amber, hiding the exquisite poetry of classical gardens and the dazzling fireworks of modern cities. Whether you are exploring the ancient, feasting on delicious food, or wandering around, this place can open up all kinds of customs in the south of the Yangtze River for you. 1. Gardens: a flowing dreamland in the south of the Yangtze River The gardens in Suzhou are living cultural treasures. As the first of the four famous gardens in China, the Humble Administrator's Garden is based on water. In spring, you can enjoy the reflection of azaleas on bamboo, in summer, you can watch the fields of lotus leaves, in autumn, you can smell the fragrance of chrysanthemums, and in winter, you can taste the snow on pine branches. Each season has a different style. Walking through it, the round hole door of the "Wuzhu Youju" pavilion frames the North Temple Tower in the distance, and the wonderful scenery is impressive; the "Guanyun Peak" in the Lingering Garden is 6.5 meters high, exquisite and transparent like a fairy from heaven, and together with the surrounding buildings, it forms a wonder of "watching clouds rise on Taihu stones". If you want to immerse yourself in the night charm of the garden, a night tour of the Master of Nets Garden is a must-try. In the twilight, carry a lantern through the "Zhuwai Yizhixuan", the Kunqu opera "Peony Pavilion" is being sung gracefully on the waterside pavilion, the sound of Pingtan and the sound of fish jumping in the pond are intertwined, and the hot steam of Biluochun in your hand is lingering, as if you have traveled to the elegant gathering of Ming and Qing literati. The interactive performance of "Six Records of a Floating Life" added in 2025 allows tourists to transform into Shen Fu and continue the romance of "Standing with you at dusk in leisure time" in the garden. 2. Ancient Town: The fragrance of years in the depths of fireworks Suzhou's ancient towns have never been empty scenery, but a vivid theater of life. In the morning mist of Zhouzhuang, the rowing boats creaked across the bluestone pier, and the boat girl's Wu dialect tune echoed with the sound of washing clothes, as if time had not passed; the old teahouse on Shantang Street was filled with the fragrance of Biluochun, and the embroiderers in the Suzhou embroidery workshop next door were working with flying needles, and the lotus flowers gradually bloomed on the plain silk. Pingjiang Road was bright with lanterns at night. In the Cat's Sky City Bookstore, someone was seriously writing postcards to the future. The "Shengsheng Man" in the corner Pingtan Hall was soft and pleasant to the ears, making people unable to help but slow down. Tourists who prefer quietness can go to Lili Ancient Town, where the exquisite brick carvings of Liu Yazi's former residence are hidden, the tiger stove in the old teahouse is boiling water, and the aroma of "Lili Spicy Foot" is full of the streets. Sitting on a bamboo chair under the misty corridor, watching local elderly people chatting in Wu dialect, listening to the crisp bicycle bells on the bluestone slabs, the fireworks are full of the gentle background of Jiangnan. 3. The tip of the tongue in Jiangnan: a time machine of sweetness and freshness Suzhou's cuisine is a philosophical practice of "eating in season". The three-shrimp noodles, which are limited to spring, are the best. The chef of Yuxingji peels the shrimp meat, shrimp brain and shrimp roe in the early morning, and spreads the three crimson shrimps on the alkaline water surface. After mixing, they are so fresh that people's eyes will be sore. There will be long queues every year from June to August; the Fengzhen big meat noodles in summer are fresh with fermented rice wine, the white soup is as clear as amber, the braised meat melts in the mouth, and the heat disappears with the soup. If you want to experience the fireworks of the city, Shuangta Market is a great choice. The steamed Dingsheng cake is smeared with osmanthus sugar, the freshly baked plum cake is wrapped with bean paste, and the boss of the fish stall cuts with a knife, and the three whites of Taihu Lake become sashimi in an instant. In autumn, the Yangcheng Lake hairy crab roe is yellow and plump, the female crab is golden, and the male crab is fat. A dish of ginger vinegar and a pot of Huadiao wine are the most comfortable autumn ritual in Jiangnan.