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Classical Gardens of Suzhou

UNESCO World Heritage Site
Lingering Garden in Suzhou
Location	Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
Criteria	Cultural: (i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)
Reference	813bis
Inscription	1997 (21st Session)
Extensions	2000
Area	11.922 ha (29.46 acres)
Buffer zone	26.839 ha (66.32 acres)
Coordinates	31°19′N 120°27′E / 31.317°N 120.450°E / 31.317; 120.450
Location of Classical Gardens of Suzhou in JiangsuShow map of JiangsuClassical Gardens of Suzhou (China)Show map of China

The Classical Gardens of Suzhou (Chinese: 苏州园林; pinyin: Sūzhōu yuánlín; Suzhounese (Wugniu): sou-tseu yoe-lin) are a group of gardens in the city of Suzhou, in Jiangsu, China, which have been added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Spanning a period of almost one thousand years, from the Northern Song to the late Qing dynasties (11th-19th century), these gardens, most of them built by scholars, standardized many of the key features of classical Chinese garden design with constructed landscapes mimicking natural scenery of rocks, hills and rivers with strategically located pavilions and pagodas.

The elegant aesthetics and subtlety of these scholars' gardens and their delicate style and features are often imitated by various gardens in other parts of China, including the various Imperial Gardens, such as those in the Chengde Mountain Resort. According to UNESCO, the gardens of Suzhou "represent the development of Chinese landscape garden design over more than two thousand years," and they are the "most refined form" of garden art.

These landscape gardens flourished in the mid-Ming to early-Qing dynasties, resulting in as much as 200 private gardens. Today, there are 69 preserved gardens in Suzhou, and all of them are designated as protected "National Heritage Sites." In 1997 and 2000, eight of the finest gardens in Suzhou along with one in the nearby ancient town of Tongli were selected by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site to represent the art of Suzhou-style classical gardens.

Famous Suzhou garden designers include Zhang Liang, Ji Cheng, Ge Yuliang, and Chen Congzhou.

The gardens

Image	Name	Inscription date
	Humble Administrator's Garden (拙政园/拙政園; Zhuōzhèng Yuán)	1997
	Lingering Garden (留园/留園; Liú Yuán)	1997
	Master of the Nets Garden (网师园/網師園; Wǎngshī Yuán)	1997
	Mountain Villa with Embracing Beauty (环秀山庄/環秀山莊; Huánxiù Shānzhuāng)	1997
	Couple's Retreat Garden (耦园/耦園; Ŏu Yuán)	2000
	Garden of Cultivation (艺圃/藝圃; Yì Pǔ)	2000
	Great Wave Pavilion (沧浪亭/滄浪亭; Cāng Làng Tíng)	2000
	Lion Grove Garden (狮子林园/獅子林園; Shī Zǐ Lín Yuán)	2000
	Retreat & Reflection Garden (退思园/退思園; Tuìsī Yuán)	2000

Comprehensive monitoring plan

The site is monitored following a comprehensive monitoring plan and there is provision for both the routine maintenance and programmed conservation projects for all of the gardens. The Suzhou Municipal Administrative Bureau of Gardens is responsible for this.

See also

• Chinese garden
• Five Peaks Garden

References

1. ^ "Classical Gardens". Chinavista.com. Archived from the original on 2012-08-24. Retrieved 2012-12-01.
2. Liu, Dunzhen and Joseph C. Wang (1993). Chinese classical gardens of Suzhou. McGraw-Hill. p. 12.
3. ^ "World Heritage List (Suzhou)". UNESCO Advisory Body Evaluation. 1996-07-26. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
4. ^ Robert Ivy, FAIA. "I.M. Pei returns to his family's hometown in China and designs the Suzhou Museum for a sensitive, historic site". Architectural Record.
5. "Flowing Serenity - The Chinese Garden". Emel magazine Issue 73 October 2010.
6. "UNESCO World Heritage Centre". Whc.unesco.org. Retrieved 2012-12-01.

External links

• Classical Gardens of Suzhou - UNESCO World Heritage

v t e Classical Gardens of Suzhou
This UNESCO World Heritage Site is inscribed as a single property, but composed of 9 separate gardens in Suzhou Prefecture
Lingering Garden Garden of Cultivation Humble Administrator's Garden Master of the Nets Garden Mountain Villa with Embracing Beauty Canglang Pavilion Lion Grove Garden Couple's Retreat Garden The Retreat & Reflection Garden
Category

v t e World Heritage Sites in China
East	Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City Classical Gardens of Suzhou Fujian tulou Lushan Huangshan Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of Yellow Sea–Bohai Sea of China (Phase I) Mount Sanqing Mount Tai Wuyi Mountains Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and Kong Family Mansion in Qufu Xidi, and Hongcun West Lake Kulangsu
South Central	Ancient Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains Historic Centre of Macau Shennongjia Kaiping Diaolou and Villages Longmen Grottoes Historic Monuments of Dengfeng, including the Shaolin Monastery and Gaocheng Observatory Zuojiang Huashan Rock Art Wulingyuan Yinxu
Southwestern	Chengjiang Fossil Site Dazu Rock Carvings Fanjingshan Honghe Hani Rice Terraces Huanglong Jiuzhaigou Lijiang Mount Emei and Leshan Giant Buddha Mount Qingcheng and Dujiangyan Potala Palace, including the Jokhang and Norbulingka Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries Three Parallel Rivers
North	Mount Wutai Chengde Mountain Resort, including Putuo Zongcheng Temple, Xumi Fushou Temple and Puning Temple Forbidden City Zhoukoudian Ancient City of Pingyao Summer Palace Temple of Heaven Xanadu Yungang Grottoes Beijing Central Axis
Northeast	Koguryo sites Mukden Palace
Northwestern	Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor Mogao Caves Xinjiang Tianshan Qinghai Hoh Xil
Multiple regions	Great Wall China Danxia Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties South China Karst Grand Canal Silk Roads Tusi Sites Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of Yellow Sea–Bohai Sea of China (Phase II) Badain Jaran Desert

• Classical Gardens of Suzhou
• Gardens in China
• Buildings and structures in Suzhou
• World Heritage Sites in China