Zhetang Garden - A Study in Humble Design
Jinshui Suzhou Zhetang Garden, water town characteristics crowned with Jiangnan.
Pool pavilions, mansions, towers, and halls are splendid; pavilions, corridors, and gardens are lush with trees.
Reflections of buildings, mist floating in the courtyard. Sweet, ancient wells, marvelously capture the heavens.
Build golden houses to hide beautiful things for a long time; the prince's mansion repairs the workshop, ensuring peace,
Note: Zhetang Garden is located in the northeast corner of Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, built in the early years of the Ming Dynasty (16th century). It is a representative work of Jiangnan classical gardens. Over four hundred years, Zhetang Garden has been divided and reunited several times, sometimes as a 'private' residence, sometimes as a 'golden house' for hiding beautiful things, or as a 'prince's mansion' to manage affairs, leaving many intriguing traces and stories to explore. Zhetang Garden is located at No. 178 Northeast Street, Suzhou. As of 2014, it is still the largest classical garden in Suzhou, covering an area of 78 acres (approximately 5.2 hectares). The entire garden is centered on water, with mountains and streams winding around it, with exquisite halls and pavilions, and lush vegetation, possessing a rich Jiangnan water town characteristic. The garden is divided into three parts: east, central, and west. The east garden is open and spacious, the central garden is the essence of the entire garden, and the west garden has exquisite architecture and unique characteristics. The south of the garden is a residential area, reflecting the typical Jiangnan region's traditional multi-proportion dwellings. The south of the garden also has the Suzhou Garden Museum, a garden-themed museum.
