Zen Garden, The Kingdom of Rockery: The Lion Grove Garden
Suzhou's gardens are plentiful in 'gardens' but scarce in 'groves', with the Lion Grove Garden being the only one named 'grove'.
'Grove' refers to mountain forests, and can also mean 'jungle', which is the pure land of Buddha in the human world. Suzhou's gardens have always been private gardens for the enjoyment of the wealthy and officials, but the Lion Grove Garden is a Zen forest, which attracted the arrival of emperors from two generations. Emperor Qianlong, yearning for it day and night, spent 200,000 taels of silver to replicate two Lion Grove Gardens in Beijing.
The charm lies in the rockeries of the garden.
But speaking of rockeries, the first thing that comes to mind is this garden, as it possesses the largest existing ancient rockery group in China.
The Lion Grove Garden is located at No. 23 Yuanlin Road, in the northeast corner of the ancient city of Suzhou, and is one of the four major gardens of Suzhou. The entire architectural complex is a slightly wider rectangle from east to west, covering an area of 15 acres, which is only one-fifth of the Humble Administrator's Garden.
The Lion Grove Garden is adjacent to the Humble Administrator's Garden and the Suzhou Museum, and it only takes a few minutes to walk between them.
The small square hall of the Lion Grove Garden is a transparent corridor hall with a square colored glass lattice window in the center, which is a place for guests to gather, sing, and watch operas.
Behind the small square hall is the Contrast Pavilion, where two half-pavilions are built opposite each other in the east and west of the courtyard, also known as the East and West Half-Pavilions.
Between the two pavilions, there is a majestic stone peak with nine lions of different postures frolicking on it, hence the name Nine Lions Peak. Although it is artificially constructed, it leaves no trace and is truly a fine work. Behind the peak, there are four flower windows with themes of zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, which are very artistic.
The rockery group of the Lion Grove Garden covers an area of more than 1,100 square meters, divided into dry and water rockeries, with 9 paths and 21 cave entrances, and some rockeries are divided into three layers: upper, middle, and lower.
Walking on the rockeries, you will find yourself climbing to the top of the mountain and then down to the caves, but the process of winding around the rockeries is very interesting and joyful, like playing hide and seek in a maze.
Following the winding paths of the rockeries, you can enjoy the scenery of the garden, which is quite pleasant indeed.
The Lion Grove Garden
The scenery is good-looking, but the place is a bit small, and Huqiu is more cost-effective. But the Lion Forest scenery is also good. I went on the weekend, there were a lot of people, and the road construction experience was not very good nearby. Nearly the whole street was closed, and the people and cars were almost hit together.
Revisit the old place, as always, love. It's just that there are too many people, this time I bring friends to share this treasure place. One step at a time, each scene is different, the small bridge is running with the water, and the green bamboo companion gallery.
Suzhou Gardens ranked third. I have been to Humble Administrator's Garden before. The Lion Forest is relatively small, but it is still worth playing. It has the characteristics of Suzhou Garden. The tickets are still very cost-effective compared to Humble Administrator's Garden.
Very satisfied, the explanation is professional and smooth, vivid and interesting. When I played in the Lion Forest before, although I also did my homework to understand the relevant knowledge points, there were still some details that I didn't find. After the explanation, I found a lot of interesting talking heads, which made the tour more rewarding. The commentator Rong Jun is very dedicated and actively cooperates with my time requirements. Thank you very much.
Originally made an appointment for the Suzhou Museum, but it was closed late. Decisively went to the nearby Lion Garden, and the most famous in modern times belonged to the world famous architectural designer Bei Xuming. Missing the museum he designed to see their family gardens is not a time-space staggering. Many of the stone peaks in the garden are similar in shape to the lion, so they are named "Lion Forest". In addition to the stone peak, the building inside the lion forest is also a highlight. Yanyutang, Jianshanlou, Waterfall Pavilion, Wenmei Pavilion and other main buildings are scattered, and they echo each other with natural elements such as stone peaks, lakes, trails, etc., forming a beautiful picture. The Lion Forest has also undergone an important change in modern times. Mr. Pei Xuming, the world-renowned architect, introduced the western gardening technique and home to the garden, which gave the lion forest a new vitality and vitality. Mr. Pei Yuming's transformation of the Lion Forest not only retains the classical charm of the garden, but also integrates modern elements, making it a temple garden that integrates the principles of Zen and the garden. In the Lion Forest, you can also see the family of the shell family. This home was built by Mr. Bei Xuming's grandfather, Bei Runsheng, to commemorate the ancestors of the family and inherit the family culture. The existence of the family not only adds a sense of history and culture to the Lion Forest, but also reflects the importance and inheritance of the family culture of the Bai family.
From the north, I have visited the Summer Palace. The lion forest is not big, but it is too good to visit. The exhibits are very careful, and the bonsai of Lamei is so beautiful. No wonder Emperor Qianlong has to come many times. Every place seems to feel the daily life of the owner. Unlike other exhibitions, put tables and stools to finish. It is worth checking in again.
The Lion Forest is a classical garden in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China. It is one of the four famous gardens in Suzhou. It is a representative of the generation garden and the only remains of the early cave-style rockery group in China. It is known as the "Rockery Kingdom". The highest peak in the park is the "lion peak", and there are "containing cockroaches" and "Tuyue" and other famous peaks, the park has many bamboos, and there is an abbot Zen nest among the bamboos. In the southeast, there are ethnic schools, homes, residences, Yanyutang, Xiaofang Hall and other attractions, the central building is built with lake heart pavilion, Jiuqu Bridge, Shiqian, Lotus Hall, and Jianshan Building. In the northwest, there is a small courtyard ancient Wusong Garden, and the west piles of earthy mountains in the garden, forming the pattern of the front hall, the back residence, and the western garden. The garden has changed several times, the temple, garden, house divided and merged, traditional gardening techniques and Buddhist ideas are integrated, modern Bay family has introduced the western gardening techniques and home into the garden, making it a temple garden that integrates the theory of Zen and the garden.
This attraction is not only pleasant, the air is fresh, but the number of tourists is also well controlled, making people feel very comfortable. The service is also very thoughtful, the staff is friendly and enthusiastic to answer every question, making people feel at home. In addition, the facilities in the attraction are also very complete, which makes people feel very satisfied. In short, this is a very worthwhile tourist attraction and highly recommended to everyone. Whether you are traveling with your family or with friends, you can have a pleasant holiday here.