Humble Administrator Garden

In Suzhou, Jiangsu Province of south China, there is a beautiful and famous waterside city with many elegant classical gardens. Among these, the Humble Administrator's Garden is the largest and most renowned with about 52,000 sq. meters (12.85 acres).

The garden has received many notable honors due to its unique designs. It is listed as a World Cultural Heritage site as well as a special tourist attraction in China. And it has also been designated as one of the Cultural Relics of National Importance under the Protection of the State. Along with the Summer Palace in Beijing, the Mountain Resort of Chengde in Hebei Province and the Lingering Garden in Suzhou, it is considered as one of China's four most famous gardens. There are no other classic gardens in the country that were honored more than this one.

During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the Humble Administrator's Garden was originally built in 1509. A former government servant named Wang Xianchen owned it as a private garden in the first place. It was said that Wang intended to build a garden after retirement and just do some gardening work like planting trees and cultivating vegetables there because he was frustrated in his official career. He thought he was a humble man who led a simple life like that. As a result, the name of the garden was set. The old relics of a residence and a Taoist temple are the base of this garden. The main background of it is the water feature and the natural landscape of it includes hills, small forests and rock formations. What’s more, man-made pavilions, halls and parlors also exist.

The garden is forming up with Eastern, Central, and Western sections along with some former owners’ residences. The residential houses have the same typical style as Suzhou Local Residences. You can see similar features of them in the famous water township Zhouzhuang which is not far from Suzhou City.

Attractions nearby Humble Administrator Garden