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The Chinese have an old saying (they really do!): "In heaven there is paradise, on Earth there is Suzhou". This kinetic, bustling silk trade city, crisscrossed by ancient canals, has inherited China's best preserved traditional pleasure gardens--scholarly retreats once hidden inside the walls of princely estates. Miraculously, many of these living works of art survived the mass destruction of the Cultural Revolution. As modern China carries on with its own haphazard race to modernity, give your senses a holiday and wander the cobbled lanes in
Suzhou, South of Heaven.
Depart at 9am with your guide, car and driver. The glitz and glass of Shanghai quickly vanishes as you drive past farms and villages that have not much changed over the centuries. Arrive in Suzhou in the late morning and wander the grounds of the 3rd-century Temple of Mystery, whose monumental Sanqing Hall rises like a palace in the center of Suzhou's bazaar. There are lots of cafeteria-style eating halls in the neighborhood where you can join the local comrades to munch on tasty dishes.
After lunch, explore China's best preserved traditional gardens, now a protected UNESCO World Heritage Site. These artistic treasures have managed to harness the beauty of nature on an intimate, human scale. There are many to choose from, inviting a return visit for thorough exploration, but here are some highlights...
Zhuozheng Yuan, The Humble Administrator's Garden, is one of the largest, yet it manages an intimate surprise at each turn. Ponds reflect perfectly proportioned pagodas. Windows, shaped in a variety of clever symbolic shapes, frame specific points of view and rock gardens suggest far-flung landscapes from around imperial China. One pavilion incorporates then-exotic cobalt blue stained glass. Canglang Ting, a gorgeous princely estate nicknamed the Blue Wave Pavilion, makes ingenious use of reflections, winding pathways and surprising portals to create a miniaturized and idealized version of the world outside its cloisters. Tucked down a charming lane you will discover Wangshi Yuan, Garden of the Master-of-Nets, a relatively small sanctuary, but brilliantly laid out and fine-tuned with Zen-like patience by generations of gardeners. But plants are not the focus for day-trippers here. Seeming cul-de-sacs of white-washed walls become vivid frames for a slash of bamboo rising up into the open sky. Mosaic pebbles draw your attention to innumerable paths your feet could take to cross a quiet courtyard. Several rooms are dedicated to the works of local woodblock printers whose art has captured unique perspectives on Suzhou's artful vistas.
If you have time, there are some fine little museums here including the Suzhou Bowuguan displaying artifacts from the city's long history, a Silk Museum with exhibits highlighting the 4000-year-old local industry, and the Xiqu Bowuguan Museum of Traditional Opera and Theater.
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