Among the famous gardens in the south of the Yangtze River, the Retreat Garden is favored by UNESCO and listed as a world cultural heritage, which can be regarded as an outlier, because it was built very late, in the 11th to 13th years of Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty, that is, from 1885 to 1887, in Tongli Town, Wujiang, Suzhou.
On the way home, I saw a sign in the ancient town, which read "Jicheng Former Residence". When I asked, I learned that this place was Jicheng's hometown, and it is no wonder that the inheritance of the garden continues, and I will visit the retreat garden again within two days.
(Originally published in Suzhou Daily 2016-09-18 A08 edition)
Author: Zheng Peikai
Editor: Xiao Ming