The beautiful waterside City of Suzhou in Jiangsu Province in South China is most famous for its elegant classical gardens. Among these, the Humble Administrator's Garden, covering about 52,000 sq. meters (12.85 acres), is the largest and most renowned. Due to its unique designs and ethereal beauty, the garden has garnered many special honors. It is listed as a World Cultural Heritage site and has also been designated as one of the Cultural Relics of National Importance under the Protection of the State as well as a Special Tourist Attraction of China. Along with the Summer Palace in Beijing, the Mountain Resort of Chengde in Hebei Province and the Lingering Garden in Suzhou, it is considered as one of China's four most famous gardens. No other classic garden in the country has been honored more than this one.
The Humble Administrator's Garden was originally built in 1509 during the Ming Dynasty
(1368-1644). It was initially a private garden of a former government
servant named Wang Xianchen. It was said that Wang was frustrated in
his official career, so he intended to build a garden after retire and
just do some gardening work like planting trees and cultivating
vegetables there. He thought that was a simple life led by a humble man
like him, hence the name of the garden. The garden was created upon the
old relics of a residence and a Taoist temple. Water feature is the main
background and its natural landscape includes small forests, hills and
rock formations. It also has man-made pavilions, halls and parlors.
Unlike the Grand View Garden and other famous gardens in Beijing, it is a representative work of the Ming Dynasty building style.
The
garden consists of Eastern, Central and Western sections as well as
some residences of the former owners. The residential houses are of
typical style of Suzhou Local Residences, whose feature can be seen in
the famous water township Zhouzhuang not far from Suzhou City. The site of the residences has been rebuilt as the Garden Museum now.