Travel to China (3)

First of all, let me tell you that with the exception of Nanjing, Suzhou is the most populated city in the Province of Jiangsu and is located around 100 kms west of Shanghai. In many ways it is very attractive for the tourists. Firstly, Suzhou is a very active handicraft center which is particularly famous for the production of silk. In fact, the best silks for painting on silk come from this region. Secondly, one of the attractions of Suzhou are its canals which remind us of another famous European city: in reality, it is known as the "Venice of the East". Last but not least, Suzhou is very famous for the large number and the beauty of its classical gardens. The Japanese drew their inspiration from the Chinese gardens style to create their own gardens well-known all over the world. There is a saying, which describes this magic of Suzhou, which inspired many poets in centuries:

"Up in heaven there is a paradise; down on earth there is Suzhou..." !

To have a better look of Suzhou and to get to know the small streets of the city, which have kept an old time charm, and to discover the famous donkey-back ponds, we decided to use bicycles, a very popular means of transportation in China really practical in the labyrinth of the streets !

Don't delay to have this experience, as unfortunately modern constructions are quickly replacing the remains of the past...

As was the case in the Forbidden City or the Summer Palace, Suzhou gardens have suggesting names, of which Chinese are found, such as the Humble Administrator's Garden, the Garden of the Master-of-Nets, the Lion Forest Garden, the Blue Wage Pavilion, the Garden of Pleasance etc. Four of these Chinese gardens are on UNESCO's World Heritage list. I would like to give you some explanation on the conception of these gardens before describing two of the most famous ones.

Landscape gardening is an art which goes back to olden times and reached its climax in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. These times of prosperity created a good base for the development of this art as the number of gardens in Suzhou increased to reach 280. The gardens belonged to rich scholars and other distinguished citizens, who particularly liked to visit their cottages in the country in order to take a rest from a tiring political life and/or who decided to retire there. How were these jewels conceived ? How did they come design gardens which are real masterpieces ? These scholars were motivated by the need of duplicating to a smaller scale the beauties of mother nature which was surrounding them. The traditional concepts of "yin" and "yang" are present in many ways in the conception of Suzhou gardens: here, "yin" would represent what is dark and humid; "yang" what is light and dry. And there, "yang" would symbolize a vertical plan and "yin" a horizontal plan. For the conceivers, the artistic success of the Chinese gardens is linked to the balance between the contrary principles of "yin" and "yang". It is true, I think, that we are able to appreciate the daylight if the shadow is not very far away! Anyhow, what was important for the designers was the perfect balance between the main elements of the gardens: water, stone and vegetation. In addition, it was also necessary to take into account other secondary elements such as the pathways, bridges, windows, doors and curved-roof pavilions. If all elements were arranged correctly, it was possible at any moment to go from light to obscurity and vice versa. Fo me, what is most outstanding are the moon gates. They have a circular shape which reminds one of the full moon and they were designed so one could better appreciated the falling leaves in autumn for example, or the song of the birds in springtime. Nothing was left to chance...

It should also be noted that the limestone, which is present in all Suzhou gardens, is the expression of an ancient tradition: a simple rockery with an unusual shape was supposed to evoke a whole mountain. Even rocks with the strangest shapes were sought after in order to express particular feelings. Whatever the shape, rocks were always superimposed and arranged asymetrically in order to give a natural impression. With a inexperienced Western eye as mine, I had difficulty in imagining and understanding the real intention of the designers !

One of the most interesting gardens is the Humble Administrator's Garden, Zhuozheng Yuan in Chinese :

This garden, which is one of the four most famous gardens in Suzhou was, created in the 16th Century by the imperor's inspector called Wang Xianchen, for his retirement after a busy political life. In order to find a suggestive name, he drew his inspiration from a Chinese writer, Pan Yue, living at that time. This writer thought that an humble man's policy was to cultivate his garden and to sell the produce... The Humble Administrator's Garden is also the biggest garden in Suzhou coverning an area of 50 km2. The garden has two different parts separated by a wall and several different shaped basins and ponds. The large hall, called the Hall of Drifting Fragrance, which include a suite of rooms, is South-facing. The style is sober and it is true that the ponds, pavilions, towers and belvederes do inspire calmness and peace; water is omnipresent since three fifths of the whole garden suface is covered with water.

In the Humble Administrator's garden, the moon-gate has a specific role since it was built to hide the view to the West in order to draw the eye to a pond and a distant door.

The Master-of-Nets garden is a real piece of art which is one of the finest expressions of the classical gardens tradition. The garden is the smallest in Suzhou and is one-tenth of the size of the Humble Administrator's Garden; and was created during the Song dynasty (end of 12th century). The first owner of the garden, Minister Shi Zhenzhi, named it the "Fisherman's Retreat"; after several reshapings, many years later in 1740, it was changed to resemble the "Master-of-nets". The garden has three separate parts: the residential area facing East, the central area is the main garden, the Western part includes the inner garden and courtyard. It is truly charming thanks to it sobriety: the sober but harmonious arrangement of water, limestones, bushes and bent trees is unique. The residential area, all on one level, includes a private library (known as the "Library of 10,000 Volumes") and reception rooms are all sparsely furnished.

Central view of the Garden: on the basin side, the "Pavilion where the Moon comes with Breeze"

Another interesting visit could be at the Shuangta Si or two-pagodas Temple, built on the Song dynasty. Just take a look...