The Retreat & Reflection Garden (;
Suzhou Wu: The sy yoe, ) is a notable
classical garden in China. It is located in
Tongli
Tongli, alternately Tong-Li (; Wu: Don li, ) is a town in Wujiang district, on the outskirts of Suzhou, Jiangsu province. It is known for a system of canals, it has been given the nickname "Venice of the East". The place retains many of the f ...
,
Wujiang, Jiangsu
Wujiang District (; Suzhounese: ''Wukaon Chiu''), formerly Wujiang City, is one of five urban districts in Suzhou, Jiangsu province. As the southernmost county-level division of Jiangsu, it borders Shanghai to the northeast and Zhejiang province ...
,
China. In 2001, it was recognized with the other
Classical Gardens of Suzhou as a
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
.
History
The garden was built in 1885 by Ren Lansheng, an imperial official working in Anhui province who was impeached. The name of the garden comes from a verse by Zho Zhuan in ''Zhuo Qiuming's Chronicles'', "Lin Fu really is a gentleman when he forwards proposals, he shows loyalty to his country, when he retreats he reflects and mends his ways". The garden was designed by Yuan Long (), a painter of the Wumen school.
Design
The garden is divided into an eastern residential area, a western main garden court with two minor courtyards attached to it.
[Yuan, 2004] The design of this garden is innovative in that is uses an east–west axis as the main axis as opposed to the traditional north–south axis. The layout of buildings around the pool in the main courtyard uses the near-the-water style of placing the buildings back from the waters edge and keeping the water level high. This part of the garden is named: "The Garden Floating on Water."
See also
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Chinese garden
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Suzhou
Notes
References
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External links
UNESCO World Heritage Site page for Classical Gardens of Suzhou
{{DEFAULTSORT:Retreat and Reflection Garden
Classical Gardens of Suzhou
Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Jiangsu