Suzhou, in East China's Jiangsu Province, enjoys a particular renown for her landscaped gardens, Over 150 in number, some are more than one thousand years old. Suzhou has often been called an "Earthly Paradise". Before liberation, they were privately owned by high officials, landlords and other wealthy men.

The gardens are not large but are fascinating in their delicate design, containing hills, ponds, pavilions, terraces, corridors, and towers. Called the "Venice of the East", Suzhou has a high water table, which supplies the vast number of ponds and streams throughout the city.

Canglangting (Pavilion of the Surging Waves) is known for its peaceful scenery and simple architecture. It was built some nine hundred years ago by the scholar Su Zimei.

Shizilin (Lion Grove) was built during the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368). Again the small garden is truly exquisite in design, the rockeries imaginative. Entering the garden you find stones in various interesting shapes.

Zhuozhengyuan (The Humble Administrator's Garden), the largest in the city, is a lush and distinctive garden built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

Liuyuan (Garden to Linger in) was constructed in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and is three hectares in size. Winding throughout the garden is a 700-meter long corridor, on the walls of which are a great number of stone carvings and windows.