The Humble Administrator's Garden - A Garden in the South of the Yangtze River.

The Humble Administrator's Garden, located at No. 178, Northeast Street, Gusu District, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, is one of the four famous gardens in China. It is known as an outstanding representative of Chinese gardens and a model of private gardens in the south of the Yangtze River. It was built in the fourth year of Zhengde in the Ming Dynasty (1509) and was created by Wang Xianchen, a censor of the Ming Dynasty, after he resigned and returned to his hometown. The name of the garden comes from a sentence in "Xianju Fu" by Pan Yue, a litterateur in the Jin Dynasty, which means a carefree and contented lifestyle. The garden is divided into three parts: east, middle and west, covering an area of about 52,000 square meters. The eastern part is characterized by Pinggang Distant Mountain, pine forest lawn, and bamboo grove winding water. The main attractions include Lanxue Hall, Zhuyun Peak, and Furong Pavilion. The middle part is the essence of the garden. It is mainly water, and the pool area accounts for one third of the garden area. The main attractions are Yuanxiang Hall, Xiangzhou, and Heifeng Sides Pavilion. The west part is characterized by pools and pavilions. The main building is the Thirty-Six Mandarin Duck Pavilion, and there are other attractions such as the Reflection Building and the Listening Pavilion. The Humble Administrator's Garden is not only famous for its long human history and rich cultural connotations, but also for its natural and elegant style and beautiful scenery. It was listed as the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units by the State Council in 1961, listed as a World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 1997, and rated as a national 5A scenic spot in 2007. In addition, the Humble Administrator's Garden has a deep connection with Wen Zhengming. Wen Zhengming is a representative of the Wu School. It is said that he once designed a garden blueprint for Wang Xianchen. Wen Zhengming created many paintings for the Humble Administrator's Garden. These works not only depict the beautiful scenery of the garden, but also reflect the life philosophy and aesthetic pursuit of the garden owner.