Classical gardens adorn the city

Master-of-the-Nets Garden

The name of this garden is an allusion to the simple life of a fisherman, which was admired by many ancient officials and scholars who romanticized it as an escape from worldly worries.

Master-of-the-Nets Garden was built in 1174 during the Song Dynasty. It demonstrates Chinese garden designers' adept skill at synthesizing art, nature and architecture to create unique metaphysical masterpieces.

It is regarded as "the most exquisite Suzhou classical garden" among garden connoisseurs for its high achievement in the techniques of using relative dimension, contrast, foil, sequence and depth, as well as borrowed scenery. In 1997, it was included on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

The garden is divided into three halls. The main hall used to receive distinguished guests still displays a complete set of Qing Dynasty-styled furniture with skilled craftsmanship.

The gate tower outside the main hall has a history of over 280 years. Six meters tall and 3.2 m wide, the tower is exquisitely carved and considered "the best gate tower south of the Yangtze River."

The garden is built around the Rosy Cloud Pool. Small buildings are set on rocks or piers directly over the water surface while large buildings are separated from the pool by yards planted with trees to obscure their size.

A wall separates the pool and the Dianchunyi courtyard located in the western corner of the garden. A replica of the courtyard's delicate and primitive design was exhibited in New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1978.