Meticulously landscaped public gardens are a popular tradition in Chinese culture, with its origins dating all the way back to the 11th century B.C. during the Zhou dynasty. The Chinese tradition of garden building began as a way to provide a private space for emperors and the noble class to hunt wild game. Later, during the Win and Han dynasties, those hunting preserves were made to look more beautiful and began to reflect the surrounding natural landscapes as well as the local architecture.
It was during the powerful Ming dynasty, which ruled over China from 1368 – 1644 A.D, that China experienced a time of great cultural and artistic flourishing including literature, music and elaborate paintings. Garden building also reached its height during this time. The most famous public garden in China, the Humble Administrator’s Garden, was built in the early 16th century by a Chinese nobleman as a retreat from society.
Located in Suzhou, the Humble Administrator’s Garden is one of the most recognizable classical public gardens in China. The 500 year old garden was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997 due to its significance and exceptional natural beauty. The Humble Administrator’s Garden is among a group of famous public gardens in the region known as the Classical Gardens of Suzhou, all of which have been granted UNESCO status. Suzhou’s Humble Administrator Garden and Master of the Nets Garden are the most popular public gardens in all of China.
Sprawled over nearly thirteen acres, the Humble Administrator Garden is the largest of Suzhou’s classical public gardens. Suzhou-style classical gardens were meticulously designed to incorporate the natural elements such as water, trees, flowers, and rocks with the local architecture of the time. The Humble Administrator’s Garden has been called the best representation of a Chinese classical garden due to its mastery of the landscape and Ming-style architecture seamlessly blended to create a harmonious balance. A tour of the picturesque garden has been likened to a real-life scroll painting where visitors can view a series of beautifully painted vignettes played out before their own eyes.
The Humble Administrator’s Garden is comprised of three main sections set around a large lake: the Eastern Garden, the Western Garden and the Central Garden. The garden’s landscape consists of ancient trees and pine forest, hills, interconnected lakes and small islands, and 48 buildings including pavilions, pagodas, viewing halls and bamboo houses. The Humble Administrator’s Garden also has an entire courtyard dedicated to over 700 penjing, the ancient Chinese art of depicting trees and landscapes in miniature.
The jewel in the garden’s crown is the Central Garden. The Central Garden consists of many different buildings set around the large “Surging Wave” pond. The main attraction of the Humble Administrator’s Garden is the Hall of Distant Fragrance located in the Central Garden. The hall is named after a nearby lotus pond that fills the area with fragrant aromas when the lotus are in bloom. The Small Flying Rainbow Bridge is another popular attraction and the only bridge in the garden you can walk across. The garden is filled with other picture-perfect, tranquil scenes such as the Secluded Pavilion of Phoenix Tree and Bamboo and the With-Whom-To-Sit Pavilion– named after an ancient poem.
The best time to visit the Humble Administrator’s Garden and other public gardens in China is between March and November. You should devote at least two to three hours to explore the Humble Administrator’s Garden in all its glory.
