Sample from China! The Grand Tour CD-ROM

Suzhou Gardens

Suzhou is a city of gardens. The number of gardens in the city exceeds 170, mostly private gardens built in the thousand years from the Songsong to Qing Dynasties by officials, merchants and scholars. Unlike the magnificient imperial gardens, the gardens here are small and dainty, cleverly laid out and pleasing. Suzhou is famous for its gardens of classical Chinese style. Each garden has its own unique layout. In the construction of some gardens, water is emphasized, with artificial hills around it, connected with elegant corridors and pavilions. In some gardens, bizarre rockeries dominate the scene, with creeks and ponds encircled. Others have subtle and exquisite buildings, displaying a diversity of architectural styles. There are inner gardens inside a garden, offering everchanging scenes which are full of strong oriental color, showing the characteristics of the Chinese art of building gardens.

Many writers, poets and artists participated in the designing of the gardens, infusing their artistic ideas into the landscaping.

Representing the best of classical architectural art of gardens in south China, Suzhou's gardens is a symbol of China's ancient civilization.

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