The Humble Administrator's Garden is the largest and most famous out of the Suzhou gardens. It covers about 52,000 sq. meters (12.85 acres) and is filled with beautifully unique designs. This garden has won many honors such as becoming a World Cultural Heritage site, being designated as a Cultural Relic of National Importance under the Protection of the State and being a Special Tourist Attraction of China. This garden is just as famous as the Summer Palace in Beijing, the Mountain Resort of Chengde in Hebei and the Lingering Garden also in Suzhou.
It was originally built in 1509 during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) as a private garden of a former government servant named Wang Xianchen. It was said he intended to build a garden after retiring just so he can do gardening work and live the life of a humble man, hence the name of the garden. The garden was created upon the old remains of a home and a temple. Water is featured as the main background and its natural landscape includes small forests, hills and rock formations. It also has man-made pavilions, halls and parlors. It is unique from the gardens in Beijing because its design is representative of the Ming dynasty.
The garden is divided into the eastern, central, western parts and a dwelling quarter. The dwelling quarter is filled with typical Suzhou style buildings originally used as residence for the administrator and his family but now serves as the exhibition halls for the Museum of the Gardens. The eastern part features pine forests, green lawns, bamboo groves and flowing brooks. The famous attractions here are Orchid Snow Hall, Dotted Clouded Peak, Lotus Flower Waterside Pavilion and many more. In the central quarter, there are pavilions, mansions, corridors, lush vegetations and willow sheltered ponds. The 36 Mandarin Duck Hall is the main attraction of the western part where ponds, corridors, terraces are scattered all over.
The large garden provides a beautiful and peaceful backdrop for a one-hour stroll. The layout, natural and unsophisticated, is representative of Ming Dynasty landscaping.
Nowadays, Humble Administrator's Garden used for many floral exhibitions. Every spring and summer, the garden hosts the Azalea Festival and the Lotus Festival. There are bonsai shows in the Bonsai Garden (Penjing Yuan) in the western quadrant while precious Chinese stones are shown in the Elegant Stone House (Yashi Zhai) in the central quadrant.
After visiting this garden, you can also choose to explore the several museums nearby to learn about gardening techniques and Suzhou customs.
