Yi Garden—A Lover of the Aegean Sea's Delight

Yi Garden was first built in 1874 (the 13th year of the Tongzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty) by Gu Wenbin and his son. It took nine years and cost 200,000 taels of silver to complete. The garden's name, taken from the Confucian Analects, means "brothers in harmony," symbolizing familial affection. Though small, Yi Garden combines garden art, calligraphy treasures, and guqin culture, drawing inspiration from and integrating the essence of Suzhou's major gardens. For instance, the covered walkways, ponds, rockeries, caves, and dry boats are modeled after those in Canglang Pavilion, Master of the Nets Garden, Huanxiu Villa, Lion Grove Garden, and Humble Administrator's Garden, respectively. It can be considered a "miniature version of Suzhou gardens." The garden's owner once gathered more than 30 renowned guqin players from all over for a guqin concert in Yi Garden. Later, these musicians formed the "Jin Yu Qin Society" during a gathering at the garden. ✅Main Attractions: 🌺Divided into east and west sections by covered walkways, the eastern part features mainly buildings, while the western part centers around a pond surrounded by exquisite rocks. 🌺Calligraphy Steles and Yi Garden Rubbings: The walls of the garden's corridors are inlaid with stone carvings of calligraphy by famous artists from various dynasties, including Wang Xizhi, Huai Su, and Mi Fu, known as the "Yi Garden Rubbings." 🌺Lotus Fragrance Pavilion (Hoe the Moon Studio): The main building of the garden, designed by the famous Suzhou garden master Yao Chengzu. It features a mandarin duck hall layout, facing the pond to the north, where visitors can enjoy lotuses in summer. The main hall bears the plaque "Lotus Fragrance Pavilion." The south hall, known as "Hoe the Moon Studio," has plum trees planted to the south, offering a view of plum blossoms in winter. 🌺Rockery: With jagged rocks, deep caves, and winding paths, exploring this undulating rockery is even more enjoyable than Lion Grove Garden, in my opinion. It evokes the feeling of "experiencing the mountains and forests without leaving the city." 🌺Little Canglang: Located at the east end of the rockery, this hexagonal pavilion sits by the water. Inside, a stone table is placed, with a wall on the north side and the other five sides open. It features a plaque inscribed by Wen Zhengming himself, reading "Little Canglang." Standing in the pavilion, one can enjoy a panoramic view of the garden. Beside it stands the "Three-Fold Screen," one of the garden's three treasures, a Taihu rock. 🌺Po Xian Qin Hall and Stone Listening to Qin Room: The room is divided into two parts: the east is the "Po Xian Qin Hall," featuring a small portrait of Su Dongpo; the west is the "Stone Listening to Qin Room." Outside the room, a Taihu rock resembles an old man listening to the guqin. Other attractions like the Stone Worshiping Pavilion, Jade Rainbow Pavilion, Green Phoenix Pavilion, Facing the Wall Pavilion, and Painted Boat Studio are also worth visiting and appreciating.