Suzhou Gardens

My trip to Suzhou was very interesting I learned many new things about traditional Chinese aesthetics and history. My guide was Yueqin. She did not speak a lot of English and I speak even less Chinese but never the less with the help of a phrase book and a lot of pointing we were able to understand each other. In the end she was able to give me a good understanding about the design of these gardens. I got a lot out of this trip and I would really like to go back in the summer or fall, sometime, to see these gardens again with all of their greenery.

Yueqin was camera shy and wouldn't let me take her picture so I can only show you the gardens, not the guide. All I can do is thank her for doing such a good job guiding me.

The Chinese aesthetic is very intriguing. I enjoyed how interconnected everything was. The gardens moved you from light to shadow, from cool to warm or summer to spring, winter or fall. The layering of textures at times relax your thoughts then gently startle you awake with a surprise. Even though it was the end of winter and few things were blooming the shapes of the plants intermingled with the rocks, buildings, and stone pathways was beautiful.

Everywhere in the gardens it seemed that earth, water and space had equal importance. Even when on of these classical elements dominated the scene. To bad modern developers can't seem to grasp this concept. I hope you enjoy the slide show(There are more photos of Suzhou to come)