The Lingering Garden, called Liu Yuan, is one of the four most famous gardens in China, and a masterpiece of the Suzhou school. It began in the sixteenth century as the private garden of an official of the Ming dynasty, and was later rebuilt by a Qing dynasty owner, whose family name, Liu, gave it its present name, which also means lingering or staying on, and that is exactly what visitors want to do. It belongs to the UNESCO listing of the classical gardens of Suzhou, from 1997, and it covers a couple of hectares, with halls, pavilions, corridors, ponds and rockeries arranged in a design that seems to turn a small space into a landscape.
The art of the Chinese scholar's garden is in the surprise. Covered walkways wind and turn, with windows of different shapes that frame a view, such as a bamboo, a rock or a bit of water, like a painting. The Cloud Capped Peak, a tall, perforated rock from Lake Tai, is considered one of the finest garden stones in China. Water, rock, plants and architecture are balanced, and the white walls with their grey tiles form a backdrop. Visit in the early morning or late afternoon, when the light is soft and the crowds are thin, and in rain, when the roofs drip and the pond ripples, the garden is at its most poetic.
Suzhou, an hour from Shanghai by fast train, is a canal city, often called the Venice of the East, though its waterways are quieter and more domestic than that comparison suggests. Silk has been woven here for centuries, and the city has a very good museum designed by the architect I. M. Pei, whose family came from Suzhou. The Retreat and Reflection Garden at Tongli, a water town nearby, is another listed garden, and the old street of Pingjiang Road is a pleasant place to walk.
Riding in China as a foreigner is highly restricted, so most visitors come by train and use taxis or hired bicycles. Suzhou has fuel and services everywhere, and the local food is sweet and delicate, with freshwater fish, river shrimp and noodles in broth. Spring, with the flowers, and autumn are the best seasons, and the summer heat can be heavy.