Garden of Couple's Retreat

Garden of Couple's Retreat

Liangyuan, formerly known as Sheyuan, is located at No. 7, Xiaoxin lane, Neicang street, Suzhou city. It was built in the early Qing Dynasty, and was renamed as "Liangyuan" in the late Qing Dynasty. The garden is named "couplet garden" because it has one garden in the East and one garden in the west of the house, and "couple" and "couple" are interlinked, implying that the couple will return to the field and live in seclusion.

The total area of the garden is about 8000 square meters.

The former site in the east of the garden was originally built by Lu Jin, the magistrate of Baoning in the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty, after he became an official. After Chongming Zhu's villa.

As a national key unit, the garden has been listed as a heritage by UNESCO.

The landscape "Huangshi rockery" in the garden is built in front of the hall of Chengqu thatched cottage. The eastern part of the false mountain is larger, and the stone path in front of the hall can lead to the platform on the east side of the mountain and the stone chamber on the west side.

The center of the garden is the four hall homestead, and the East and west gardens are connected with the residence by the double tower

. The South and North revetment wharf is one of the characteristics of the garden, which fully shows the characteristics of Suzhou.

In 2001, it was listed as a national key cultural relic protection unit, and in November 2000, it was listed in the world cultural heritage list by UNESCO.

Historical origin

Located at No.7, Xiaoxin lane, Neicang street, Suzhou City, the garden was originally named Sheyuan in the early Qing Dynasty, and was renamed as "the garden" in the late Qing Dynasty. The garden is named "couplet garden" because it has one garden in the East and one garden in the west of the house, and "couple" and "couple" are interlinked, implying that the couple will return to the field and live in seclusion.

The total area of the garden is about 8000 square meters.

Suzhou couplet garden is located in the deep of xiaoxinqiao Lane in Cang street. It is a secluded place. To the East is the ancient city wall of Suzhou, which has been destroyed. A mound of earth is left, and the shadow of trees is whirling, winding north. Outside the city is the Yangtze River. In June 2001, Suzhou Shuangyuan was listed as a national key unit. In November 2000, it was added to the world cultural heritage list (Suzhou garden) by UNESCO.

Layout structure

The garden faces the river on three sides, connects the street on one side, and has river ports in front and back. Pink walls and black tiles set off a small bridge and flowing water, which has the charm of Jiangnan Water Town.

The layout of the garden is centered on the homestead with four halls, and the East and west gardens are connected with the residence by the double tower. The east garden is large, covering an area of about 4 mu, and its layout is characterized by mountains as the main part and ponds as the auxiliary part. The main building facing south is a group of double eaves hall buildings. There are three small courtyards in the southeast corner, which are called "Chengqu thatched cottage". The west garden has a small area, with the study "weaving curtain old house" as the center, and is divided into two small courtyards. In the front yard, there are rockeries with lake stones, in the back yard, there are flower beds with lake stones, in the north of the garden, there is a library, and in the southwest corner, there are rockeries, flowers and trees, Lake stones, etc. The garden covers an area of about 40 mu. The layout of one house and two gardens is unique among many classical gardens in Suzhou.

Landscape features

There are many sceneries in the west garden, such as "weaving curtain old house", "Book Building" and "Heshou Pavilion". There is a small rock rockery in the west garden, which is full of peaks, cliffs and caves. It is far away from the Huangshi rockery in the east garden.

The environment of West garden is quiet and elegant, with the characteristics of Suzhou study garden.

Suzhou's couplet garden is exquisite. You don't have to experience it in person.

Ancient and modern evolution

In the early Qing Dynasty, Lu Jin, the magistrate of Baoning, became an official and returned to Li. He began to construct "garden" here, also known as "Xiaoyulin" (today's East Garden). It is taken from Tao Yuanming's "guici" and "yuanrizha to become interesting". The garden is not very wide. There are fish watching sills, my love Pavilion, rattan boat, floating red and blue waves, and Wanhong bars. Later, it was rented by Guo Fengliang, a calligrapher. Then it was Zhushi villa in Chongming.

It was destroyed by war in Xianfeng Period. In 1874, Shen Bingcheng, a military envoy in Huzhou, lived in the Soviet Union because of illness. He took his wife and went back to seclusion. He bought the abandoned site of the garden and hired the painter Gu to design it on the basis of the old garden. It was rebuilt and expanded into the existing pattern of one house and two gardens, forming today's double garden. It was completed in 1876. After the completion of the garden, Shen Bingcheng changed its name to "Liangyuan", implying that the couple will live together in seclusion and die together. In the 10th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu, Shen Bingcheng came back as an official in other provinces, and his family went with him. In the 21st year of Guangxu, Shen Bingcheng went to Suzhou for treatment, but the treatment failed, and died in the garden. Since then, the garden has become increasingly dilapidated and scattered into dwellings.

In 1898, Zhao Shanchang, an educationist, lived here with Chen Shihong, Shen Ziqi, Zhang Yingu, Zhang Weinong, the second provincial female teacher, and Wang Qiyu, the dean of the Agricultural College of Nanjing Central University.

In 1932, East Garden rented Yang Yin and founded ERLE women's society. After Yang was killed, the east garden was once empty and deserted. In 1939, Qian Mu, a contemporary master of traditional Chinese culture, lived with his family to welcome his mother to the east garden, where his eldest nephew Qian Wei once lived. In 1941, Liu Guojun, an industrialist in Changzhou, bought the abandoned garden and renovated it. At that time, the garden was completely dilapidated, and the central part of it had become a residential area.

In 1950, a fire destroyed the central hall.

In 1956, it was under the management of Zhenya silk weaving factory. After a series of changes in the fate of workshops, warehouses, dormitories and nurseries, in 1960, with the approval of the municipal government, it was under the management of Suzhou garden management office, and it allocated 60000 yuan for renovation. In April 1965, the east garden was finally restored and opened to visitors on May 1. During the renovation of the garden, the garden construction team moved to the West Garden in 1963 and moved out only after the merger with the classical garden construction company on New Year's day in 1981. The west garden was transformed into a garden technical school. From May of the same year, the garden was managed by the garden technical school as the experimental base of the technical school.

Cultural relics protection

In 1963, it was listed as a cultural relic protection unit in Suzhou.

In 1967, more than a year after the opening of the east garden, during the "Cultural Revolution", the garden and other classical gardens in Suzhou were closed. In 1968, the garden was renamed "Chengdong garden" and closed for more than 10 years.

In 1980, the municipal government allocated 1 billion yuan to open (East Garden) after another overhaul.

In July 1982, the garden was opened separately.

In 1985, the technical school moved out after the completion of the new school building of Huqiu No.1 Bridge. Later, the west garden was partially renovated.

In 1990, Shen's cultural relics exhibition room was set up. In April of the same year, the Management Office of Suzhou Dongyuan was established by the merger of Shuangyuan, Dongyuan and zoo. In 1993, the municipal government allocated 6.8 million yuan for the comprehensive renovation of the central residence and the west garden, and moved out all the households. In April 1995, it was listed as a provincial cultural relics protection unit.

Opening to the outside world

It was completed in 1999 and opened together with the east garden.

In November 2000, as an extension of Suzhou classical gardens, the garden was listed as a heritage site by UNESCO World Heritage Committee. In June 2001, it was listed as a national key cultural relics protection unit.

Facilities in the park

From Dongyuan parking lot, take Cang street to the narrow gravel road in the entrance hall of the garden. Two arms wide, a line of green tiles and white walls of residential buildings and other height, several straight canals have been flowing quietly for thousands of years, one by one in front of the water wharf to deliver happy, sad, the news of the outside world. From the city to the residence, from the neighborhood to the garden, from the garden to the heart, the couplet garden retains the unique features of Suzhou ancient city, such as the traffic of vehicles and ships, the architectural features of "people living in the river" and the private houses of literati.

Liangyuan is located in the hinterland of Pingjiang road ancient city reserve. The unique urban appearance, urban rhythm and urban culture created by Suzhou people for 2500 years, in turn, pay close attention to Suzhou people who were born and grew up in Suzhou all the time. As the saying goes, Suzhou has a taste, Suzhou people have a taste, and the garden has a taste. In this sense, the garden is a wonderful flower!

The garden faces south and is surrounded by water on three sides. In the south, along xiaoxinqiao lane, the gate faces the water, and there is Hebu revetment wharf. A path along the river stretches straight out to connect with the people in the West. In the north, there is xiaoliuzhi lane, and there is a private Wharf at the back door, and in the East, there is an inner moat. Today, it is still rowing. To the east of the city is the remains of the city wall, and the wild trees block the noise of barges and markets outside. Among the leaky streets and around the rustic dwellings, the couplet garden, like a orchid, is immersed in the simplicity and elegance of its own fragrance. Like its owner, it is narcissistic and content with the sweetness and tranquility of its personal life. Like the ancient city of Suzhou, it is forever independent and retains the most distinctive personality and rich connotation. Just as I.M. Pei said, "there is a clear heritage" ”。

For three hundred years, the garden has welcomed its owner quietly and calmly. In the early Qing Dynasty, this garden was originally built by Lu Jin, an official, after he returned it to his hometown. Its name comes from Yuanming's guici, which says "the garden is interesting because of its involvement in Japan". In 1874, Shen Bingcheng, governor of Anhui Province, went out with his wife and retired. He invited Gu Zhen, a famous painter at that time, to develop the garden on the basis of the garden, thus forming today's garden. In a corner, "pillow wave double hidden", "couplet garden live good couple, city Song build poetry city". It is called "coupling" and "coupling", which means that the couple is connected, and it also shows the characteristics of the whole garden house. The layout is axial symmetry and east-west correspondence.

The lotus garden has abandoned the disturbance of the world, gathered the essence of nature, and lingered in "poetry wine alliance".

Chinese PinYin : Ou Yuan