Suzhou’s Scholar Gardens and Lakeside Hotels: A Day Trip or a Weekend from Shanghai

How the gardens work

UNESCO has inscribed nine of Suzhou’s classical gardens, among them the Humble Administrator’s Garden, the Lingering Garden, the Master of the Nets Garden and the Lion Grove, dating from the eleventh to the nineteenth century. They were private gardens made by scholars, designed to recreate natural landscape in miniature within the limits of a single residence, combining water, rock, plants and buildings with inscriptions, plaques and couplets. The model is the freehand, poetic style of Chinese landscape painting.

The Humble Administrator’s Garden is the largest and most celebrated; arrive at around eight in the morning, before the tour groups. The Lingering Garden is the most ornate, the Lion Grove is known for a rockery that works as a maze, and the Master of the Nets is the smallest and most intimate, best at dusk. The scholar-garden day puts them in order. Spring and autumn are the best seasons; avoid the national holiday weeks, when queues become severe.

Beyond the gardens

The Suzhou Museum, designed by I.M. Pei and opened in 2006, stands beside the Humble Administrator’s Garden, and the two combine well in one morning. Entry requires a reservation. Pingjiang Road, a lane of whitewashed houses, stone bridges and teahouses beside a canal, is best at dawn or after dark.

Where to stay

Suzhou is about twenty-three minutes from Shanghai by high-speed train, so it works as a day trip, but two nights give the gardens room. The lakeside hotels are the reason to stay. Four Seasons Hotel Suzhou sits on a private island in Jinji Lake, Park Hyatt Suzhou is the city alternative, and Banyan Tree Yangcheng Lake is a lakeside resort in which every terrace has a private hot-spring pool.

With Shanghai

Suzhou pairs naturally with Shanghai and with Hangzhou and the Jiangnan countryside.

Sources: UNESCO: Classical Gardens of Suzhou; China for Travelers: Things to do in Suzhou. Check the official websites for current information.