A misty morning in the Lingering Garden

"The protagonist scene" of the Lingering Garden; the central lotus pond towards the Hanbi Mountain Hall. A perfectly still morning, not even the slightest breeze stir the clear mirror of the water.

 

On my second last day in Suzhou, I was getting a bit exhausted by the intensity of my visit... Trying to cram all the famous jewels of garden art into one trip takes its toll, however enthusiastic garden lover one might be. Still, determinate and with slightly aching feet, I refused to give up and set off to Liú Yuán, the Lingering Garden, on the early morning hour when a soft mist was still hanging in the air. Being one of the four most famous gardens in China, the crowds soon arrived, but just for a moment, I could get a beautiful glimpse of what a peaceful, elaborate garden this was before it had to endure the trampling feet of countless visiting groups. (post continues below after pictures...)

 

Another view of the Hanbi Mountain Hall; a wisteria-covered stone walkway on the right leads to the other side of the pond.

 

Luyin Gallery, the Gallery of the Green Shade on the left. It was named by an ancient maple that used to cover it with dense shade. To the right, Ming Se Lou, Brilliant and Refreshing Tower.

 

Simple stone bridges leading over tiny ravines connect the different parts of the "wilderness".

 

View from the ''mountain wilderness", north from the buildings shown above. Elaborate rockeries with winding paths and greenery fill this area, reminding of the mountainous landscapes of China.

The Lingering Garden is located outside the huge Changmen Gate to the old city of Suzhou, and with its 2.3 hectares, one of the largest classical gardens in the city. It was originally built in the 21st year of the reign of Wanli of Ming Dynasty, with translates into year 1539 on the western calendar. The name, Liú Yuán, is later, given after Liu Su, a 18th century owner of the garden, but as often the case with Chinese names, the homophonous word also can read as meaning leisure.

 

An astonishing 700 meters of winding, covered walkways lead through the Lingering Garden.

 

 The Study of Enlightenment, with mounds of soft bamboo planted above rock arrangements.

  

The Lingering Garden is extremely rich in its design, which is divided into four main parts. The middle part of the garden features a verdant hill and a pond, enclosed in several elegant halls. The eastern part contains many smaller buildings and famous rocks from Lake Taihu. The northern part has a fruit forest and a bamboo forest, with pavilions sprinkled out into the landscape. The western part is built as a 'natural wilderness' on woody hill, reminding of the mountainous landscapes of China. It is often said that the Lingering Garden displays all wonders in Chinese garden construction techniques, and represents the gathered wisdom of the ancient architects and artisans. (post continues after pictures...)

 

 A magnificent, undulating wall separates the woods in the western part of the garden from the pond and rockeries in the middle area. Arrestingly beautiful.

  

This garden fell into severe disrepair a century ago in 1911, when an owner who had inherited it didn't have neither interest nor resources for its upkeep. It was only in mid-20th century that it was restored by resources allocated by the People's Republic of China. It opened to the public in 1954.

 

A moment of rest and contemplation - at 7:30 in the morning, a gentleman took out his flutes and started playing in one of the pavilions. A garden path sweeper immediately dropped his broom, and took a short break from his monotonous work to to enjoy the music. 

The same pavilion as above (with the sound of flute still filling the air) seen from the penjing garden below.

 

Penjings, both small and large, fill the northern part of the garden, forming their own miniature sceneries within the scenery.

 

 Another, larger "miniature mountainscape" by the walkway leading to the penjing garden...

 

Just like the Humble Administrator's Garden, the Lingering Garden is one of the four most famous gardens in China, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site, and one of the Cultural Relics of National Importance under the Protection of the State as well as a Special Tourist Attraction (grade AAAAA) of China. The fame leaves its marks, and to be able to enjoy the garden in peace is a rare treat. Still, this is an extraordinary garden to see, and an excellent reminder of the highly sophisticated achievements of the ancient Chinese culture.

 

A couple of rocks, an old vine and a calligraphy forming the focal point of a corridor leading out from the garden. So simple, so visually effective.

By the entrance of the garden - luckily, I was already on the way out from the Lingering Garden when the huge groups arrived. As I wrote earlier, try to time you visit so that it doesn't clash with the major Chinese holidays... everything will be so much easier and calmer.

 

Squeezing through the Humble Administrator's Garden

By the entrance to the Humble Administrator's Garden - it is 7:30 AM and the tour guides are already busy waving their flags and gathering their troups. To the left, the Wu Zhu You Ju Pavilion with its striking four moon-shaped door openings and an old phoenix tree in the front (Pavilion of Phoenix Tree and Bamboo).

 

This is it -  Zhuōzhèng Yuán, the Humble Administrator's Garden, is on pretty much every list of remarkable cultural sights to be seen in China. It is considered one of the four most famous gardens in China along with the Summer Palace in Beijing, the Mountain resort of Chengde in Hebei Province and the Liu Lingering Garden, which is also situated Suzhou. In addition, it is a Unesco World Cultural Heritage site, and one of the Cultural Relics of National Importance under the Protection of the State as well as a Special Tourist Attraction (grade AAAAA) of China; the list of accomplishments is quite remarkable for one single garden...  and the crowds are thereafter.

 

The Wu Zhu You Ju Pavilion again, as seen through with its moon-shaped door openings; a rare moment when no-one was in sight; only half a second later this quiet view was gone again.

 

  Ta Ying Ting - Pavilion for Pagoda Reflection at the southwestern corner of the garden.

 

Not just the most visited and renowned, the Humble Administrator's Garden is the largest ancient garden in Suzhou and the whole Yangtze River delta, covering about 52,000 sq. meters (12.85 acres). it was originally built by Wang Xianchen between years 1506 and 1521, who was an administrative censor in the Ming Dynasty. He chose the name to indicate his expectation of retirement and settling into pastoral life (zhuō zhèng means literally humble administrator - in my opinion, a somewhat contradictory name to give for a garden on this scale...). Since then, the garden has changed owners several times and its present architecture and scenery are mostly in the later Qing style.

 

 

Beside the "Lodging for 18 pairs of Lovebirds" with its elegant, blue stained-glass windows, and a light, wisteria-covered stone and cast-iron bridge leading to it. 

 

What would a Chinese garden be without a boat hall? Here, the handsome Xianzhou Stone Boat, embraced by water on three sides and with two levels - it is much larger than many Chinese families real homes...

 The Mountain-in-View Tower is surrounded by water and lotus flower on four sides - when they flower in the early summer, this must be a breathtaking sight.

 

The names of the many pavilions and bridges in the Humble Administrator's Garden are enchantingly poetic. Yuan Xiang Tang - Hall of Remote Fragrance; Yi Yu Xuan - Leaning Against Jade Gallery; Xiao Fei Hong - Little Flying Rainbow Bridge; Xue Xiang Yun Wei Ting - Pavilion of Fragrant Snow and Luxuriant Clouds; Yu Shui Tong Zuo Xuan - Gallery of "With Whom Shall I Sit?" and numerous similar others had caught my imagination long before my visit in books invariably illustrated with ethereal photos where no visitors stir the quiet peace of the garden. Sadly, my experience couldn't have differed more from expectations built up by those pictures. As I mentioned before, my visit fell in the middle of the Golden Week following the Chinese National Day, and literally hundreds of millions were on the road, ticking off the most famous sights on their bucket lists. Instead of spirited wandering through pathways and pavillions, I pretty much squeezed through the gardens, despite hanging at the gates at 7:30 AM when they opened. After starting, there was absolutely no return against the steady flow of tourist groups with extremely loud guides shouting out their stories through microphones despite signs forbidding this explicitly. A bit stressed out - and desperately trying to be positive and see this as an experience in itself - I snapped my photos, often hanging over other people's shoulders or umbrellas or else. So take my advise and do not try to see anything on the lists of cultural wonders mentioned in the first paragraph during the Golden Week, unless you are extremely fond of walking breast to breast with unknown people.

 

Scholar's stones and penjing in the Penjing Garden - with several, exquisite miniature landscapes to be contemplated.

A view from the Penjing Garden - I can't help, but it reminded me too much of a cemetery... so clinical and so many penjing in dreary stone vessels...

Water forms a large part of the Humble Administrator's Garden; here, a long waterside corridor that winds along the east wall.

 A brief escape from the crowds up to a little hill with a pavilion on the top. "Please follow the official path" - and don't even dream about going back to take a second look at something you missed!

 

Stone, water and penjing at the Lian Shan Shuang Lin Monastery

The Mahavira Hall at the Lian Shan Shuang Lin monastery, with large penjing flanking the entryway and steps to the temple.

Pretty much since we came to Singapore, I've been intrigued by a sprawling temple area that sits just a stone throw from a hectic highway, amongst a sea of tall apartment buildings. It is the home of Lian Shan Shuang Lin Monastery, Singapore's oldest Buddhist monastery .

Large, carefully trained penjing (Chinese meaning "tray scenery", a close relative to the Japanese bonsai) in huge planters carved out of single pieces of granite are displayed all over the monastery. They require enormous amounts of maintenance - a sign of reverence.

Elaborate gates lead to the different temples and inner gardens (my favorites) of the monastery.

The history of Lian Shan Shuang Lin Monastery - locals seem to call it only the Shuang Lin temple - reflects Singapore itself. It was founded by a Low Kim Pong, a devoted Buddhist, who in the 1850s left his family and poor circumstances in mainland China for Singapore and became a highly successful entrepreneur here.

The story goes that Low Kim Pong literally dreamt this monastery into being; according to the notes, one night in 1898 he "dreamt of a sacred man, radiating golden light, approaching from the West to the water front. Believing this to be an omen and with a continuing enthusiasm, they went to the waterfront and waited patiently."

Water - an integral element in Chinese gardens - is present in pots, fountains and even a large half-moon pond. I love the huge dragon jars and the little waterlilies with their leaves streaked with dark burgundy.

More water and waterlilies, this time in a huge boulder carved into a birdbath. And another huge, expressive boulder typical to Chinese gardens; unfortunately the sign was in Chinese that I do not understand (yet?).

Luckily for Low Kim Pong, a boat finally arrived at dusk carrying Venerable Xian Hui and his family of 12 Buddhist monks and nuns. After six years of pilgrimage to India, Ceylon and Burma, they were stopping over in Singapore on their way home to China. Xian Hui agreed on Low Kim Pong's vision about founding a Buddhist monastery in Singapore, and he became the first abbot in the new institution built on 50 acres of land donated by Low Kim Pong in what today forms the busy suburb of Toa Payoh.

Petrified and carved stone together with expressive tree trunks form the focal points of the contemplative inner garden rooms.

Both originating from the Fujian province in China, Low Kim Pong and Xian Hui called in craftsmen from their hometowns there as well from the nearby Guangdong province to construct and build the monastery. The result is a blend of architectural styles typical for these regions that reflects the Chinese immigrant society of Singapore at that time. In the late 1900s, it fell into severe disrepair and was even partially closed from time to time. It was only in 1991 that an extensive restoration project (sometimes a bit too enthusiastic - I would have loved to see more patina left in place...) was started, and it is still continuing on many areas of the grounds.

More stone - a symbol of stability and endurance and a integral element of Chinese gardens. On the left, two petrified tree trunks, on the lower right, stone with surface that water has carved into a distinct pattern reminding of waves.

A passageway with several penjing shaped as Chinese characters - if I only would be able to read them!

Wandering through the gates, walkways and temples of the monastery easily transfers one from the daily bustle of Singapore into another, more spiritual world. I especially loved seeing how people and monks were sitting in the inner gardens, meditating and contemplating in silence (of course, no photographing was allowed  inside the temples). I definitely need to know more of the Buddhist religion as now I felt (and of course, am) just like a tourist who appreciates the temples and their beauty solely on their aesthetic and visual values. But even if so much of their deeper meanings were lost on me, just sitting there enjoying the quiet peace of the monastery with a scent of incense wafting around, I know I still gained a lot.

Details, details, everywhere...