Yiyuan | Suzhou's most underrated garden

Compared with some famous gardens in Suzhou, Yiyuan seems a bit unknown. It is hidden deep in the alleys of the old city. It is not large in area and is surrounded by residential areas. Visitors have to go through some trouble to find its entrance. Once inside, they may feel that its content is not rich and it is not the kind of garden with winding paths and many turns. Some people took a quick look around and left. But if you stay for a while and calm down, you may get an experience different from other classical gardens. It doesn't change much and seems a bit overwhelming, but there is a persistent charm. The longer you stay there, the more you will be immersed in it and find that it is a garden full of connotation. This is the characteristic of Chinese literati gardens: simple and elegant, gentle and reserved in appearance, but profound and rich in connotation, and the more you appreciate it, the more mellow its charm becomes. Among all the gardens in Suzhou, the architecture and rockery of Yipu have preserved more of the features of Ming Dynasty gardens. It can be said to be the only copy of Ming Dynasty literati gardens preserved in Suzhou today. Take a stroll through the Yiyuan Garden in winter, sit in silence and observe your mind at the Ruyu Pavilion, a relic of the Ming Dynasty, drink tea and chat in the Yanguang Pavilion Teahouse, see the magnolia buds on the trees at Donglai Thatched Cottage, and savor the noble and pure life of successive owners of the garden in the South Studio. In this way, you can enjoy a relaxing and peaceful holiday.