Humble Administrator's Garden Picture

Being one of the four famous landscaped gardens in our country, Zhuozhengyuan, or the Humble Administrator's Garden is located in downtown area of Suzhou. It covers an area of 12.5 acres, making it the biggest of its kind in Suzhou. The garden was first landscaped between 1522-1566A.D by a retired high-ranking bureaucrat. The term "humble administrator" was taken from an ancient prose alluding the kind of philosophically wise man who attains livelihood as well as pleasure from growing vegetables and flowers and by so doing manages to live a life free from worldly excitements and worries. The Humble Administrator's Garden was laid out in line with the local conditions. It was designed with the lotus pond in the center, surrounded by other pavilions and halls at random. In a natural style of primitive simplicity, these buildings still maintain the distinctive feature of Ming Dynasty with vast ponds and lush trees. Without leaving the city can you attain a pleasure in the woods here. The whole garden consists of three parts and some residential buildings. Every part has its own distinctive features. Now it is among the first group of Historical Monuments and Cultural Relics under State Protection and is also listed as the World Natural Heritage.