The Garden of Cultivation located at No.5 Wenya Nong (文衙弄5号) in Suzhou

Suzhou

Suzhou , previously transliterated as Su-chou, Suchow, and Soochow, is a major city located in the southeast of Jiangsu Province in Eastern China, located adjacent to Shanghai Municipality. The city is situated on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and on the shores of Taihu Lake and is a part...

 city, of Jiangsu

Jiangsu

' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...

 Province, China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

. It is one of the best preserved examples of a Ming Dynasty

Ming Dynasty

The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...

 classical garden in Suzhou. It is part of the UNESCO

UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...

 World Heritage Site

World Heritage Site

A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...

 Classical Gardens of Suzhou on the World Heritage list.

History

The Garden of Cultivation was built in 1541 CE by Yuan Zugeng (袁祖庚), at that time it was called the Hall of Delights. In 1620 CE it was purchased by Wen Zhenheng

Wen Zhenheng

Wen Zhenheng was a Ming dynasty scholar, painter, landscape garden designer, and great grandson of Wen Zhengming, a famous Ming dynasty painter....

, grandson of the Wen Zhengming

Wen Zhengming

Wen Zhengming was a leading Ming Dynasty painter, calligrapher, and scholar.Born in present-day Suzhou, he claimed to be a descendant of the Song Dynasty prime minister and patriot Wen Tianxiang. Wen’s family was originally from Hengyang, Hunan, where his family had established itself shortly...

 the designer of the Humble Administrator's Garden

Humble Administrator's Garden

The Humble Administrator's Garden is a renowned Chinese garden in Suzhou. At 51,950 m2, it is the largest garden in Suzhou and is generally considered to be the finest garden in all of southern China...

. Wen Zhenheng was a noted garden designer and critic in his own right. He rebuilt the garden to test his aesthetic theories and renamed it Herb Garden for the numerous herbs incorporated in the design. In 1659 CE, It was rebuilt again by Jiang Cai and renamed Jingting Mountain Villa. Jiang Cai added a grove of fig trees. His son Jiang Shijie inherited the garden and renamed it Cultivation Garden after added the chapel of Guanyin. In 1839 CE it was transferred to the Qixiang Office of the Saint and Silk company. In 2000 it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The garden received great acclaim in the Qing Dynasty. Wang Wan wrote, "enclosing walls keep the worldly uproars outside; seclusion makes the inside of the house resemble a country villa; branches of date trees are heavy with fruit over the house; the pond surface is decorated with green duckweed and red lotus."

Design

The 3,967m² garden is divided into an eastern section of residence and a western garden section. Altogether the garden has 13 pavilions, 17 tablets, and 8 stelae. The Western section is composed of several pavilions around the main Lotus Pond, a rockery, and a smaller garden addition named The Garden of Sweet Grasses. The structure of the garden is formed along a north to south axis which ties the three main elements of rockery, pool, and hall together. This style of composition is also used in the Mountain Villa with Embraced Beauty. The overall design is the simplest expression of a classical garden, there is one dominant composition, the Longevity Hall, and its associated view. The 700 m² Lotus Pond is square with two water tails to give the illusion of infinite size. These tails are crossed by Fish Viewing Bridge and Ferrying Beauty Bridge The former is a three step arched bridge adjacent to the Fry Pavilion. The latter is a natural stone bridge at the entry to the Sweet Grass Garden. The Garden of Sweet Grasses is a scaled down version of the main garden and consists of the Sweet Grass House and Bathing Gull Pond as well as a smaller rockery. This area is the herb (sweet grass) garden added by Wen Zhenheng. It is meant to evoke his principal of "to leave residents free from worries, make tenants unwilling to leave, and enable visitors to throw off their tiredness". The garden is very typical of the Ming Dynasty design aesthetic because of its clear composition in plan and the elegance and simplicity of its elements.

Garden Design Elements with Description
Eastern garden
	Wen Ya Alley It is an extension of a preexisting alley anchored by two Ming style gatehouses on either end. The Major Gatehouse, a three bay hall, connects to the street.
	The Minor Gatehouse A one bay hall which anchors the other end of the Wen Ya Alley to the garden and the residence.
	The Loveable Lotus Nest Based on The History of Jin.
	The Thatched Cottage of Donglai This three bay hall was built in memory of the owner's hometown Yanglai county Laiyang Laiyang city is a city between Yantai and Qingdao, located at the middle of Shandong peninsula, China. Majority of its population are farmers and it is famous for Laiyang Pear... , Shandong Shandong ' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese... . The post capitals are decorated with auspicious cloud carvings.
	Millet Cake Studio A two bay tower, named by Jiang Cai to remember his bitter past.
Western Garden
	Fry Pavilion A Pavilion Chinese pavilion .Chinese Pavilions are covered structures without surrounding walls and are a traditional part of Chinese architecture. While often found within temples, pavilions are not exclusively religious structures...  from the original Ming Dynasty garden. It was used to watch fish in Lotus Pond.
	Hall of Erudition and Elegance A five bay hall, located behind Longevity Pavilion.
	Sound of Moon Veranda An attached square Pavilion Chinese pavilion .Chinese Pavilions are covered structures without surrounding walls and are a traditional part of Chinese architecture. While often found within temples, pavilions are not exclusively religious structures...  with a hipped gable roofline and flying eves. It was used for moon gazing. It formed part of an overall composition including an open window planted with bamboo, a scholar stone meant to resemble a young girl, a couplet.
	Chenggu Valley Study A hall named after the a mythical Chenggu Valley from which the sun rose.
	Refreshing Morning Pavilion A hexagonal detached Pavilion Chinese pavilion .Chinese Pavilions are covered structures without surrounding walls and are a traditional part of Chinese architecture. While often found within temples, pavilions are not exclusively religious structures...  located atop of the rockery. The pillar couplets read, "A walk in the morning sun feasts one's eyes on a blooming spring; A climb to the mountain refreshes one's mind with limpid water".
	Memory of Liking Hall A three ball hall with full gables. It functioned as a chapel of Guanyin built by An Jie in memory of his father Jiang Cai.
	Sweet Grass House Located in the sweet grass garden, it is built in memory of a prior herb (i.e. sweet grass) garden. The name is a reference to Ode to Nanjing which reads, "Among its sweet grasses are climbing fig, orchid, common vetch, and aromatic sunchang. They are thick cordial, vigorus, luxuriant, diffusing, delicate fragrance, and sending forth sweet smell".
	Longevity Pavilion Named for a verse by Yuan Ji, "Cultivation of one's mind brings about longevity which enables one to be as admirable as the great nature." It is a five bay hall with two wings, the Chenggu Valley Study and the Missing Jingting Mountain Study. All of the views in the garden are composed to be seen from this structure. The view meant to evoke a feeling of rustic delight. The hall was originally used as a teahouse and painting studio. The Missing Jingting Mountain study referred to the first official post of Jiang Cai, Mount Jingting in Xuanzhou Xuanzhou District Xuanzhou District is a district in Anhui Province, People's Republic of China, administered by Xuancheng City. It has a population of 840,000 and an area of .Xuanzhou District has jurisdiction over five subdistricts, sixteen towns and eighteen townships.... , Anhui Anhui Anhui is a province in the People's Republic of China. Located in eastern China across the basins of the Yangtze River and the Huai River, it borders Jiangsu to the east, Zhejiang to the southeast, Jiangxi to the south, Hubei to the southwest, Henan to the northwest, and Shandong for a tiny... .
	Moon Gate with inscription
	Bathing Gull Pond

External links

• Classical Gardens of Suzhou, UNESCO
  UNESCO
  The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
  
  's official website on World Heritage site
  World Heritage Site
  A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
  
  .