Chinanews.com, Suzhou, April 20 (Zhang Weiran, Guoxuan, Shao Yanfei, Xu Shanshan) In the twilight of spring, Tongli Ancient Town is crowded. The rowing boat rowed across the water, down the river in the morning light, through the white walls of Daiwa connected by bluestone slabs, and the narrow alleys of the long streets, and then came to the Retreat Garden.
The picture shows the Retreat Garden. Photo by Zhang Weiran
"If you don't see the garden, how can you know that the spring is as promised", in the ancient town of Tongli in Suzhou, there is a famous classical garden in the south of the Yangtze River - Retreat Garden. In March 1982, the Retreat Garden was listed as a cultural relics protection unit in Jiangsu Province, and in November 2000, it was included in the supplementary list of "World Heritage - Suzhou Classical Gardens" together with Suzhou Canglang Pavilion, Lion Forest, Art Garden and Coupling Garden.
Chen Congzhou, a famous Chinese ancient architect, garden artist, and professor, once commented: "Ren's retreat garden is unique in the gardens in the south of the Yangtze River, with a special case of a water garden, mountains, pavilions, pavilions, corridors, pavilions, pavilions, etc., are all attached to the water surface, and the garden is like a water. ”
The picture shows the Retreat Garden. Photo by Zhang Weiran
"It is very rare that the water in the heavens and the earth, the water outside and the water inside, are connected. Xue Yan, deputy general manager of Suzhou Tongli International Tourism Development Co., Ltd., introduced in an interview on the 20th that the retreat garden is centered on the pool, and the buildings are like floating on the water, plus the surrounding plants, giving people a sense of clarity, tranquility and brightness.
Xue Yan said that the architectural layout of the garden is unique in the garden form, unique to the south of the Yangtze River, adapted to local conditions, and presents a horizontal layout from west to east, compared with the longitudinal layout of the ancient front house and back garden, there seems to be a conceptual breakthrough. The residential garden is divided into four groups, the west is the residence, the east is the garden, of which there are two groups of residences, and the garden part is also divided into two groups, namely the middle garden and the inner garden, the whole garden, the layout is compact, it can be divided and combined, and the one who divides it becomes a courtyard, and the one who combines it is a whole.
The picture shows the Retreat Garden. Photo by Zhang Weiran
In 1981, Tongli Scenic Area was listed as one of the 13 scenic spots of the National Taihu Lake Scenic Area, and in 1982, the restoration of the Retreat Garden opened the prelude to the protection of Tongli Ancient Town. Zhou Chunhua, director of the Wujiang District Cultural Relics Protection and Management Institute, said, "Looking back on the past few decades, our cultural relics protection and tourism development have complemented each other and developed in an integrated manner, with the purpose of protecting and inheriting living heritage, the business format of Tongli Ancient Town has become more and more perfect, and the happiness of the aborigines has become higher and higher." (ENDS)
Editor: Shu Mengqing
Source: China News Network