Suzhou Gardens - The Ancient Canglang Pavilion

Canglang Pavilion, along with Lion Grove Garden, the Humble Administrator's Garden, and Lingering Garden, are considered the four major gardens of the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties in Suzhou. 1️⃣ Historical Origins: During the Song Dynasty, the famous poet and writer Su Shunqin purchased the land for 40,000 coins and built Canglang Pavilion. The name is derived from the saying, "If the water of Canglang is clear, I can wash my hat strings in it; if the water of Canglang is muddy, I can wash my feet in it." He called himself Canglang Weng and wrote the famous prose "Canglang Pavilion Inscription." In the 35th year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1696), Governor Song Luo rebuilt the garden and added a plaque with the inscription "Canglang Pavilion" in clerical script by Wen Zhengming. In the 11th year of the Tongzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1872), Provincial Governor Ying Baoshi and Governor Zhang Shusheng renovated the garden again, restoring the ancient pavilion to its original site and building Mingdao Hall and the Five Hundred Sages Shrine on the south side of Canglang Pavilion. 2️⃣ Main Buildings: The garden is mainly composed of mountains and forests. Before entering the garden, there is a stone bridge and a pond surrounding the garden. Inside, there are swaying green bamboos, surrounding buildings, and a long corridor winding along the mountain. Su Shunqin wrote in "Canglang Pavilion Inscription": "Bamboo in front, water behind, and bamboo again at the corner of the water, endlessly." The double corridor and the leaky windows of Canglang Pavilion are worth appreciating. The leaky windows throughout the garden vary in style, with diverse patterns and well-proportioned density, each one unique. The scenery outside the leaky windows is faintly visible, creating a special charm. Suzhou has three famous corridors: the double corridor of Canglang Pavilion, the water corridor of the Humble Administrator's Garden, and the climbing corridor of Lingering Garden. The double corridor, built along the pond, complements the leaky windows with various patterns on the same corridor. It allows for viewing from both sides, blending the scenery of the water outside the garden with the mountains inside, creating a refined and captivating scene. 🌹 Mingdao Hall is the main building of Canglang Pavilion, located on the south side of the earth and rock mountain. It has three bays wide and three bays deep. It was built by Governor Zhang Shusheng in the 12th year of the Tongzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1873). The name is taken from "Canglang Pavilion Inscription," meaning "If one's observation and listening are unbiased, then the Dao will be clear." 🌹 Cuilinglong is a building with bamboo as its theme. The variety of bamboo in Canglang Pavilion is astonishing, including arrow bamboo, gold-inlaid jade bamboo, mottled bamboo, spotted bamboo, and yellow-stalked black-breasted chicken bamboo. One is captivated by the imagery of "sunlight piercing through the green bamboo, exquisitely beautiful." 🌹 Kanshan Tower is located at the southernmost end of Canglang Pavilion courtyard, named after the phrase "Guests return to plan for wine, silently lying down to watch the mountains." Its ground floor has a stone house called Yinxin Stone House, with a horizontal inscribed board written by Emperor Daoguang. ✅ Address: No. 3, Canglangting Street, Renmin Road, Gusu District, Suzhou City ⌚️ Opening Hours: 7:30–17:30 💰 Ticket Price: Peak season (April 16–October 30) 20 yuan, off-season 15 yuan. Half-price for seniors over 60, free for seniors over 70. ⏰ Tour Time: Approximately 1.5–2 hours. You can visit Keyuan Garden across the street together.