Chinese Gardens

Chinese gardens offer a very restful place to enjoy nature and a peaceful surroundings. Better even is a nice cup of tea in a traditional tea house. Comprised of well placed rocks, stones, ponds, shrubs and trees you will see few flowers. During the spring months the flowering shrubs stand out as you see above in the photo; otherwise it is the placement of green trees and shrubs places amongst the rocks and ponds that make Chinese gardens special. When in Shanghai you must go to see the Yu Garden once the home of a wealthy merchant. Suzhou about one hour from Shanghai is known for its 87 formal gardens although only 28 of them are open to the public. Above are photos of the Humble Administrator's Garden the largest garden in Suzhou. Two of my favorites are the Garden of the Nets and Lingering Garden but you can spend days visiting others as well. There are gardens all over China of course but these and gardens in Chengdu and Emeishan are some of the best in China. There is an organization in Seattle that is planning a special China tour in 2011 keying in on Gardens of China. If interested I will put you in touch with them when it is announced to the public. Contact me at: interlak@eskimo.com