The following morning, my cousin Ping -- his father Qi was my mother's eldest brother who passed away 1995-- drove us to Suzhou.
Houses along a canal
Suzhou was famous for its private courtyards. This time we visited two of them (Shi Zi Lin and Liu Yuan). (there are plenty of them, each one has it's uniqueness) It's also been called Eastern Venice because the local people lived by canals. But now most of the canals have already disappeared due to reclaiming of land project since Liberation (1949).
Located in the northeast of Suzhou, Shizilin is a good representitive of antient classical private garden designing. Shizilin has a very long history. It was first built in 1342, Yuan Dynasty. Covers 2.5 acres in area, it is famours for its groteque rocks, which are limestone from Taihu Lake in Wuxi City. Some of them resemble lions, and that's the reason why it is named as Shiziyilin, which literally can be translated as Lion Garden.
A miniature shows how people in Suzhou lived a few hundreds years ago
A hall in Shi Zi Lin -- A private garden belong to Song official
Shi Zi Lin
One of the hall -- Yuan Xiang Tang --inside Shi Zi Lin
Another hall -- San Shi Liu Yuan Yang Guang -- inside Shi Zi Lin
A lady was taking photo inside the hall
Shizilin is an ideal sightseeing site as it has richly ornamental pavilions and towers in different styles; each has its own history and story. Walking through those numerous winding pathways and caverns of the anfractuous stone forest, one could easily lose one's way. With the old pines and cypress trees, the whole landscapes represent scenes of real mountains and forests.
A tree inside Shi Zi Lin Garden
Peach blossom in Shi Zi Lin
Beautifully decorated -- Shi Zi Lin
Inside Shi Zi Lin
Eastern version of Venice -- near Shi Zi Lin
Another private garden --Liu Yuan
Just like Shiziyilin, LiuYuan also has a long history. It was first built in 1583, Ming Dynasty. It had been changed many hands and finally belonged to Liu Family before it was donated to the Government and that's the reason why it was named.
Today the garden is separated into the eastern, central, northern and western parts. The central part features a man-made mountain and lakeside scene, resembling a long scroll of traditional Chinese landscape painting. The eastern part is noted for its joyous groupings of garden courts and elegant buildings, the western part for the enchantment of woody hills, and the northern part for cottages with bamboo fences and idyllic scenes.
Liu Yuan
An artificial hill made from Taihu rock is always the main component of Suzhou gardens. The 6.5-meter-high Cloud-Capped Peak in this garden, as the highest limestone in classical gardens of Suzhou, is believed to have been left behind by the imperial collector of the Northern Song Dynasty. Weighing about 5 tons, the limestone is supposed to have been carried from Taihu Lake, 40kms away.
One hall inside Liu Yuan
Outside one of the halls in Liu Yuan
Chinese calligraphy -- last time rich family like to decorate with Chinese calligraphy -- in Liu Yuan
Inside Liu Yuan
Bonsai in Liu Yuan
Bonsai in Liu Yuan
Bonsai in Liu Yuan
Liu Yuan
The story of Liu Yuan is written here
We had dinner at Xian's (Ping's younger sister) place. Many cousins, cousin-in-laws and their children came. It was indeed wonderful.
My cousin Ping
He's burning offerings to my grandparents
