Insights into Suzhou Gardens

Suzhou, a city near Shanghai, is widely known for having gorgeous gardens, which exemplify incredibly ingenious ways of green landscaping, time-tested and timeless. Whether you are going to Suzhou in the near future or not, captivating color photos of classical gardens in this book will take your breath away. Better yet, this book will help you understand their enigmatic beauty.

This is an informative and intriguing book about all the most fascinating features of Suzhou-style gardens, such as winding ponds, dainty footbridges, porous rockeries, white walls with dark gray tile roofs, carved windows, moon gates, painting-like ground patterns, etc. It points out how each of them originated and why they impress eminent architects and ordinary people alike. Equally notable is the book's detailed information on most of the lovely plants that flourish in a typical garden of Suzhou, as well as the aesthetic and/or auspicious purposes they serve.

In addition, this book profiles nine of Suzhou's classical gardens, which have been collectively inscribed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization as a World Heritage Site. It presents their best characteristics and tells their compelling stories.

While reading this book, you may get inspired to create a Suzhou corner in your own garden. Traditional elements of Suzhou-style gardens can definitely be modernized. World famous architect I. M. Pei (1917-2019) set an excellent example of incorporating them into the modern-looking Suzhou Museum.

With or without your own garden in mind, you are bound to enjoy an imaginary tour of glorious gardens through this unprecedented book!