- Classical Gardens of Suzhou
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Classical Gardens of Suzhou * UNESCO World Heritage Site
Country 
ChinaType Cultural Criteria i, ii, iii, iv, v Reference 813 Region ** Asia-Pacific Inscription history Inscription 1997 (21st Session) Extensions 2000 * Name as inscribed on World Heritage List
** Region as classified by UNESCOThe Classical Gardens of Suzhou are a group of gardens in Suzhou region, Jiangsu province which have been added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Spanning a period of almost one thousand years, from the Northern Song to the late Qing dynasties (11th-19th century), these gardens, most of them built by scholars, standardized many of the key features of classical Chinese garden design with constructed landscapes mimicking natural scenery of rocks, hills and rivers with strategically located pavilions and pagodas.[1]
Though smaller and less elaborate than the another well-known type of Chinese gardens, the opulent Imperial Gardens and Palaces in Beijing,[2] best exemplified by the Beihai Park, Zhongshan Park, Old Summer Palace and Summer Palace; the elegant aesthetics and subtlety of these scholar's gardens in many ways contrast with the grandeur of the former,[2] and their delicate style and features are often imitated by various gardens in other parts of China, including the Imperial Gardens, such as those in the Chengde Mountain Resort.[3] According to UNESCO, the gardens of Suzhou "represent the development of Chinese landscape garden design over more than two thousand years,"[2] and they are the "most refined form" of garden art.[2]
These landscape gardens flourished in the mid-Ming to early-Qing dynasties, resulting in as much as 200 private gardens.[1] Today, there are 69 preserved gardens in Suzhou,[4] and all of them are designated as protected "National Heritage Sites."[5] In 1997 and 2000, eight of the finest gardens in Suzhou along with one in the nearby ancient town of Tongli were selected by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site to represent the art of Suzhou-style classical gardens.[4]
Contents
The gardens
Image Name Inscription date 
Humble Administrator's Garden (拙政园/拙政園; Zhuōzhèng Yuán) 1997 
Lingering Garden (留园/留園; Liú Yuán) 1997 
Master of the Nets Garden (网师园/網師園; Wǎngshī Yuán) 1997 
Mountain Villa with Embracing Beauty (环秀山庄/環秀山莊; Huánxiù Shānzhuāng) 1997 
Couple's Retreat Garden (耦园/耦園; Ŏu Yuán) 2000 
Garden of Cultivation (艺圃/藝圃; Yì Pǔ) 2000 
Great Wave Pavilion (沧浪亭/滄浪亭; Cāng Làng Tíng) 2000 
Lion Grove Garden (狮子林园/獅子林園; Shī Zǐ Lín Yuán) 2000 
Retreat & Reflection Garden (退思园/退思園; Tuìsī Yuán) 2000 Comprehensive monitoring plan
The site is monitored following a comprehensive monitoring plan and there is provision for both the routine maintenance and programmed conservation projects for all of the gardens. The Suzhou Municipal Administrative Bureau of Gardens is responsible for this.[6]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d World Heritage List (Suzhou). UNESCO Advisory Body Evaluation. 1996-07-26.
- ^ Liu, Dunzhen and Joseph C. Wang (1993). Chinese classical gardens of Suzhou. McGraw-Hill. p. 12.
- ^ a b Robert Ivy, FAIA. "I.M. Pei returns to his family’s hometown in China and designs the Suzhou Museum for a sensitive, historic site". Architectural Record. http://archrecord.construction.com/projects/portfolio/archives/0705Suzhou.asp.
- ^ "Flowing Serenity - The Chinese Garden". Emel magazine Issue 73 October 2010. http://www.emel.com/article?id=77&a_id=2174.
- ^ http://whc.unesco.org/en/lisest/813/documents/
External links
- Classical Gardens of Suzhou - UNESCO World Heritage
Classical Gardens of Suzhou This UNESCO World Heritage Site is inscribed as a single property, but composed of 9 separate gardens in Suzhou Prefecture Lingering Garden · Garden of Cultivation · Humble Administrator's Garden · Master of the Nets Garden · Mountain Villa with Embracing Beauty · Great Wave Pavilion · Lion Grove Garden · Couple's Retreat Garden · The Retreat & Reflection Garden
World Heritage Sites in China East Classical Gardens of Suzhou · Fujian Tulou · Lushan National Park · Mount Huang (Huangshan) · Mount Sanqing (Sanqingshan) · Mount Tai (Taishan) · Mount Wuyi (Wuyishan) · Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and Kong Family Mansion, Qufu · Ancient villages in Southern Anhui - Xidi and Hongcun · West Lake Cultural Landscape of Hangzhou
South Central Ancient Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains · Historic Centre of Macau · Kaiping Diaolou and Villages · Longmen Grottoes · Historic Monuments of Dengfeng, including the Shaolin Monastery and Gaocheng Observatory · Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area · Yin Xu
Southwest Dazu Rock Carvings · Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace, including the Jokhang and Norbulingka · Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area · Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area · Old Town of Lijiang · Mount Emei Scenic Area, including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area · Mount Qingcheng and the Dujiangyan Irrigation System · Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries · Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas
North Mount Wutai (Wutaishan) · Chengde Mountain Resort and its outlying temples including the Putuo Zongcheng Temple, Xumi Fushou Temple and the Puning Temple · Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang · Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian · Ancient City of Pingyao · Summer Palace, an Imperial Garden in Beijing · Temple of Heaven: an Imperial Sacrificial Altar in Beijing · Yungang Grottoes
Northeast Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom · Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang
Northwest Multiple regions
Coordinates: 31°19′36″N 120°37′32″E / 31.32667°N 120.62556°ECategories:- Gardens in China
- Landscape design history of China
- Buildings and structures in Suzhou
- World Heritage Sites in China
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