Fuddland
One of the more popular gardens in (苏州) is (狮子林), Lion Grove, in the north of the city. It’s a fairly large, and elaborately-designed area; originally laid out in 1342 by a monk in honour of his teacher, it is decorated with rocks specifically selected for their supposed resemblance to lions in various poses which, once chosen, were submerged in a nearby lake for decades for futher erosion.
There are three distinct areas in the garden:
the buildings, near the main entrance, with traditionally-decorated rooms with names such as The Hall of Peace and Happiness, The Pavilion of Contrast, and The Flower Basket Hall
the large artificial lake, which manages to appear to be on several different levels due to the undulating pathways that surround it and bridges that cross it
the central island, with its labyrinthian network of rocks and tunnels
Due to its size, despite there being hundreds of noisy visitors receiving guided tours in groups, it was possible to find quiet spots all over the garden, to sit for a few moments and listen to a nearby waterfall or watch the monster goldfish swim past.
I have to say I’m not a great fan of the style of rock formation that was on display. I’ve seen it in many other places — in , , and here in — so I suppose it’s a very traditional technique, but not one that generally appeals to me. Although I could see the resemblance to lions in a lot of the stones, most of the time they just looked like badly-modelled representations of partially-melted Swiss cheese or, in one case, a disturbing lizard-faced creature. But the water-features and overall layout more than made up for this lack of asthestics, and I spent a good couple of hours wandering the passages and hallways of , sunning myself on the small peaks and cooling off in the underground caves.
[See a collection of photos from in my Flickr photoset.]
