The Classical Gardens of Suzhou [Suzhou]

The Classical Gardens of Suzhou was listed on the LIST OF WORLD HERITAGE in 1997 according to the Standard C(I)(II)(III)(IV)(V) of The Cultural Heritage (200-019).
　　
Dynasties, from the 16th to the 18th centuries that followed. During the prosperous Ming and Qing Dynasties,from the 16th to the 18th century in particular . Suzhou saw a booming economy . Consequently, the number of gardens in the city of Suzhou and its environs increased a great deal ,mounting to 200 odd.Dozens of them have survived to the present and are kept in a good state of preservation.With their numerical superiority and artistic perfection ,the classical gardens of Suzhou has had a good reputation in this part of China,popularly known as "the earthly paradise".
　　
Laid out within a limited area by the house,a classical garden of Suzhou is a microcosm of the world made of the basic elements of water,stones,plants and different kinds of buildings with literary allusions.Like a freehand brushwork in traditional Chinese painting, it is the creation of "urban scenery" or an amicable environment that brings man into harmony with nature.Built in a period when privately-owned gardens were most flourishing, the Humble Administrator's Garden,the Lingering Garden ,the Master-of-Nets Garden and the Mountain Villa with Embracing Beauty,noted for their beautiful scenes,elegant buildings and literary connotations,represent the concentrated essence of wisdom of the Chinese and the finest specimens of all classical gardens of Suzhou. Like shining pearls, they are a brilliant part of Chinese cultural heritage.

Yipu was once a very famous residential garden in Ming Dynasty. It was located in Wenya Alley, Wuqu Street in Lumennei District of Suzhou City. It is a very sequestered garden which has the artistic conception of "making the people living there forgetting their sadness, the people staying there forgetting returning home and the people visiting there forgetting tiredness."