WHS#74

China is one of those civilizations that has its own distinct spin on everything. Behind the flagship palaces, religions, languages, and designs hide the gardens. Chinese gardens, much like the neighboring Japanese gardens, have grown in popularity around the world for their exotic oriental flair. Really, it isn't the flair that makes them what they are, as these East Asian gardens are more for calming than exciting its visitors. They're known for their jagged rockeries, intricate pavilions, lotus-covered ponds, and overall more abstract and flowing layout. Chinese gardens, also like Japanese gardens, get their calming vibe from the ideals of religion. While this does make them seem less impressive than Islamic or European gardens at first glance, their beauty grows as one wonders along the winding paths while admiring the forest scenery, vista after stunning vista. It isn't an overwhelming beauty, but it pulls you in until you're in bliss. At least, that's what Chinese gardens are for. The reality is a bit harsh: since only Chinese gardens in China are authentic enough to match such expectations of beauty, these gardens are absolutely full of tourists, which somewhat negates that calming effect of the landscape. And not all gardens in China are worthy of this, mind you. I remember visiting the Yuyuan in Shanghai back in 2012, and not only was it far too crowded, but I couldn't feel the authenticity. Sure, maybe it was because I was much younger than I am now, but it never really hit me as an amazing relic of the past, and that's probably because - it isn't. The garden was reconstructed from its ruined state after World War 2, and as a result, it doesn't have that natural feel to it. The buildings all seemed new and concrete, the different elements too polished, and yet the whole garden a bit messy and lacking the perpetual nice views. Sure, there are nice corners, but pardon me for keeping the famous dumplings right outside the garden as more memorable of a place. I was there to be a tourist with my family, nothing more. Of course, that's simply a childish opinion, Yuyuan is still a great sight to see in Shanghai, but then again, why not skip it to skip over to Suzhou just an hour away?

In June 2018, my family and I took a package tour for Zhangjiajie, and the last day was a day in the markets of Shanghai. Having already been to those, I reasoned with my family, and then with the tour agents, to let us deviate from the group to go to Suzhou. It was the perfect destination, just an hour away by bullet train, but due to some complications with luggage and taxis and station entrances (long story), we ended up arriving in Suzhou at almost noon. From the Shantang subway station, it's about 10-15 minutes' walk to Liuyuan, the Lingering Garden, via Shantang Street by the Grand Canal. While it was raining when we arrived, luckily it slowed and stopped when we entered the garden. After buying the ticket and entering, it's basically just hallways until you reach the view of the main pond. Now, this should've been a great revelation, as I knew that Liuyuan is one of the 4 Great Gardens of China, and this was basically the centerpiece of it. And yes, it was a great view, seen from the inside by many differently-designed windows. Maybe it was the crowd once again, or maybe it was the lighting, uncomfortably between rainy and sunny, but it didn't give me quite the impact I wanted from it. It really is beautiful, the tall towering trees form the backdrop with the pond in the center, crossed by the delicate wooden bridge, a little pagoda-like pavilion tucked in the trees on the hill behind. Maybe the sky was too grey? The pond too brown? The plants overgrown? The whole scene smaller than it was in my imagination? I didn't quite know.

I had read beforehand that Liuyuan was the 2nd biggest garden in Suzhou, so seeing the scale of things at that moment made me doubt how impressive their sizes really were. I was quite sure I could pretty much finish the highlights and most of the area of the garden in the allotted 1 1/2 hours my family had settled on. To an extent, I was right: we did see most of the garden in that time, but I was wrong to think that this little patch of land would seem that way. Once we strayed to the farther reaches of the garden, away from the buildings and central pond, the garden seemed boundless. Many say that the Net Master's Garden is impressive for its use of space, but considering that Liuyuan is the most architecture-oriented and dominated of the Suzhou gardens, it's just as amazing how vast the so-called empty spaces may seem. My family didn't seem to appreciate those forest-like zones with a lack of buildings, but to me, that's where the significance of the garden lies. The fauna borders on overgrown, and while that may not end up as beautiful as a polished garden, it seems more natural. Of course, when in Liuyuan, one must return to the buildings, and that's not a problem either, as the architecture is indeed, quite a show here. Although it doesn't feel as natural of a layout as, say a city, would feel, there's a harmony to the buildings - a harmony within themselves and with the garden around them. Another highlight is at the back of the garden, where halls contain another small pond with a towering rockery in the middle. Finally, as we trace the back wall, we find what appears to be a collection of bonsai and mini-rockeries, all on tables. We then take a path through the forest again, with its artificial rugged topography in full display, and then exist, satisfied with seeing the great Lingering Garden.

Innovations that work this close to nature can be a bit hard to judge. The thing about Chinese gardens is that they really, in their purest form here in Suzhou, try to imitate nature, and they do a good job at it. It's a bit like a predecessor to Central Park, but more beautiful. But as we saw, beauty can be very subjective, and I can't say I found any jaw-dropping views in the garden, nor would I expect to find one in any of the other gardens of Suzhou. How far can we stretch the artistic claims of a site like this when the scene simply looks like a forest? The Chinese style of gardens is indeed an influence on the world, and because the finest examples of such are clustered in Suzhou, this ensemble of WHS gardens exists today. However, we can't base the greatness of this site on the style's influence over gardens and cultures. We base the greatness of a site on the merits of the site itself from our own observations. I thoroughly enjoyed my time exploring Liuyuan, and I'd love to be able to explore the other gardens one day, so I take that this ensemble of gardens is an important cultural innovation that has materialized in a unique, exceptional, though not necessarily impressive or grand, site, still definitely worth a visit. Its innovation lies on its development of cultural identity and its effect on the perception of space, both of which reflect in the numerous gardens of Suzhou today.

Subtlety is a trademark of the Classical Gardens of Suzhou, and just as much of Suzhou as a city. It's a very simplistically beautiful city, with its canals, old streets, gardens, and temples all coming together as a great collection of authentically Chinese history. Though I believe in the significance of the Classical Gardens that ultimately lead to its inscription as WHS, I do somewhat wish that Suzhou as a whole got more recognition. It's by far my favorite city in China that I've visited, and it's just so full of life, culture, and history. The gardens are just one side of the story, just one jewel in the crown of Suzhou, one spot to dive into. In the end, I absolutely enjoyed my journey to the Classical Gardens of Suzhou, and through it, not only did I discover the true significance of these gardens, but also the treasures of the great city of Suzhou.