The Nine Lions Peak
Suzhou Lion Grove Garden
The Old-style Furniture
Located at No.23 Yuanlin Road, Suzhou, Lion Grove Garden (Shizlin) takes up an area of 2.75 acres. It has been listed on the World Heritage List by UNESCO, and it is one of the four famous gardens of Suzhou. The others are the Humble Administrator's Garden, the Lingering Garden and the Garden of Master of Nets.
It was said to be a private garden in the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279). In 1342, 2nd year of Zhizheng of the Yuan Dynasty (1271 - 1368), disciples of the famous Chan Master Weize bought the garden for him. Since the stone hills in the garden looked like lions and Master Weize had ever learnt Buddhism at the lion rock of Tianmu Mountain in Zhejiang Province, they named it 'The Lion Grove Garden'.
It earns its fame because of the stone hills, being renowned as the largest artificial hill group in China. The undulating hills form a great maze which consists of 9 paths and 21 caves, and it is very difficult to get out of the maze. Thus, playing 'hide and seek' in the hills becomes a very popular activity in the garden. Actually, if you keep turning to one direction, you will get out of the hills. The elegant stones are superbly striking, looking like dancing lions. Therefore, the Lion Grove Garden is also honored as the Kingdom of Artificial Hills.
Apart from the exquisite stones, it is also famous for its classical buildings. The buildings in the garden can be divided into three groups, which are the ancestral temple, the dwelling houses and four small yards. As the entrance building of the garden, the ancestral temple is spacious but a little bit gloomy, giving an impression of solemnity and serenity. The Yanyu Hall, also know as the Hall of peaceful and Happiness, lies in the dwelling house section. It is palatial and grandiose, as the principle hall of the garden. To the north of the Yanyu Hall lie the four yards, among which there is a Nine Lions' Peak Yard. The Nine Lions' Peak is a group of piled-up Taihu stones, regarded as the representative hill in the garden. The hill got the name of Nine Lions' Peak as it looked like a group of lions playing on the hill. There are also other buildings in the garden, such as the True Delight Pavilion, the Stone Boat, and The Waterfall Pavilion.
Entrance Fee: CNY 30 (Apr. 16th to Oct. 30th); CNY 20 (Oct. 31st to Apr. 15th)
Transportation:
A. Take Bus No. 2, 5 (Eastern Line), 55, 178, 202, 301, 309, 518, 529, 811, 923 or Tourism Bus No. 1, 2, or 5 in Suzhou City.
B. Take Bus No.1, 101, or 102 in Suzhou City and change to Bus No. 3 or 5 at Guanqian Street.
C. By Taxi: The garden is only 3 km (1.86 miles) from Suzhou Railway Station and Suzhou North Long-distance Bus Station, so it is very convenient to take a taxi (about CNY 10).
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