{"id":2907,"date":"2025-11-28T15:35:17","date_gmt":"2025-11-28T15:35:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/platypus.hr\/?p=2907"},"modified":"2025-11-28T16:44:27","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T16:44:27","slug":"2907","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/platypus.hr\/index.php\/2025\/11\/28\/2907\/","title":{"rendered":"Four Great Gardens"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Four Great Gardens<\/strong><\/p>\n

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China is renowned for its magnificent gardens. At the same time, Chinese are obsessed with ranking and listing the best things \u2013 Five Great Mountains, Six Ancient Capitals, Four Sacred Mountains and Four Great Gardens. If you are enjoy gardens, these four gardens are a must visit!<\/p>\n

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  1. Humble Administrator Garden in Suzhou<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    This garden serves as the role model for other Chinese gardens. It took 16 years to build this garden and it was finally finished during the Ming Dynasty in 1526 by Wang Xianchen, the imperial censor. The garden is divided into three parts: Eastern, Central and Western Garden. It made World Heritage Site list in 1997.<\/p>\n

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    Suzhou might not be one of the most famous cities in China, but historically it is one of the most important. Many historians describe Suzhou as the most important city in history never to be the capital. For China, Suzhou has been a cultural trendsetter for centuries in producing the best tiles (the tiles in the Forbidden City were made in Suzhou), silk (one of four types of silk weaving is from Suzhou) and gardening.<\/p>\n

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    Since this garden was only 15 minutes walk from my hostel, this was the first place I visited in Suzhou. After waiting for 20 minutes in the line, I was told no more tickets for today. Grrrrrrr!!!! I was in Suzhou for the extended weekend (Friday was a holiday) and since it was one of my first cities to visit in China, I did not know what extended weekend means in China. It means 1000 people per square meter! I do buy tickets in advance for major tourist destinations like Forbidden City, the Great Wall… but now I need to buy it for the entry into the garden?!<\/p>\n

    I immediately went to do some panic shopping on trip.com. More problems, Lingering garden \u2013 the other famous Suzhou garden – is also sold out for today. Luckily, there were a few free places for tomorrow so after rearranging all my plans, I came back tomorrow.<\/p>\n

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    After queuing up for 20 minutes I have reached the turn-style where you need to scan your ticket. It is the moment of truth\u2026 and I am in! The Humble Administrator Garden is the highlight of Suzhou and the most famous garden in China. I felt so much excitement to finally be able to see it, especially after a dismal failure yesterday. Unfortunately for me, close to 5000 other Chinese were there to devour the garden\u2019s beauty. It really ruins the fun when you are walking in a line to take a photo of a nice bonzai tree.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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    On the positive side, the garden really looks amazing. Compared to other gardens I have seen, its houses are much more decorated with nicer bonzai flower trees. The grass areas contain colorful islands of flowers.<\/p>\n

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    2. Lingering Garden in Suzhou<\/strong><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Suzhou is home to half of top 4 gardens in China. Lingering Garden is a bit younger than Humble Administrator\u2019s Garden, being built in 1593 by a retired official Xu Tai. It is smaller than Humble Administrator\u2019s Garden and it is divided into four parts \u2013 Eastern, Central, Western (just like Humble Administrator\u2019s Garden) + Northern garden. It made UNESCO\u2019s World Heritage Site in 1997, together with Humble Administrator\u2019s Garden.<\/p>\n

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    I booked the entry to the garden at 8:00-9:00 am and I was ready at 7:55 to get to the Lingering Garden as soon as it opened. There was a line already so I waited there for 10 minutes. It was strange since the line wasn\u2019t moving after 8:00 and then I realized I am in the wrong line. This was the line for the local doctor. The Lingering Garden was 20 meters away. Oh Dear Lord, Chinese symbol writing is so exhausting.<\/p>\n

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    The garden is less flowery and definitely less crowded than Humble Administrator\u2019s Garden, but I found its artificial ponds are prettier, in my humble opinion. The big downside, as with other cultural sites in China, is there are no English guides, even no English audio guides, so I failed to learn about the history and interesting stories connected to these two famous gardens.<\/p>\n

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     <\/p>\n

    3. Chengde Mountain Resort<\/strong><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Chengde Mountain Resort was the favorite hunting spot of the Qing Dynasty, the large imperial dynasty of China which ruled China from 1644-1912. Aisin Gioro, the imperial family, was not Han Chinese but Jurchen, who were renamed into Manchu by the dynasty\u2019s founder Hong Taiji. Like their western neighbors \u2013 Mongols \u2013 Manchus excelled in archery and horsemanship, which they practiced through hunting.<\/p>\n

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    It took the dynasty almost a century to finish its construction. Building started in 1703, under the greatest Qing Emperor Kangxi, who is the longest serving emperor in Chinese history as he ruled for 62 years. The work was finally finished in 1792 during the reign of his grandson, Emperor Qianlong.<\/p>\n

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    The resort is much larger that the Suzhou gardens. It is a hunting ground after all! The complex includes rivers, lakes, forests, hills and imperial buildings, all encircled by the wall. Even though it is imperial residence, the buildings were quite modestly decorated. They are not as grand or shining as the imperial buildings of Beijing, but they are very serene. It looks as a perfect place to escape the heat of Beijing and take a break from running the vast Qing Empire.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

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    Since the resort is located north of the Great Wall and not too far from Beijing (now it is a 2-hour bullet train ride away), it became the favorite summer residence of the Qing Emperors and their retinue. One of the funniest stories of the Qing Dynasty took place right here, when British ambassadors presented the wonders of British and European science and technology, like telescopes, glasses and clocks, to Emperor Qianlong in order to impress him enough to give the British a trade deal. Emperor Qianlong, however, was unmoved, declaring that Celestial Empire is self-sufficient and produces everything its people need and these European inventions can only be used as toys for little children.<\/p>\n

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    Chengde Mountain Resort was the stage for some of the darkest moment of Qing Dynasty. Emperor Xianfeng died a refugee in the resort, as he had to flee Beijing in order not to be captured by the Anglo-French army during the Second Opium War in 1861. Reports confirm that Emperor Xianfeng died a broken man at the age of 30, humiliated by the loss of, not only his capital, but also of his birthplace \u2013 the Old Summer Palace, the last of the Four Great Gardens. \u00a0<\/p>\n

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    4. Summer Palace<\/strong><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    \u201cOne day two bandits entered the Summer Palace.\u00a0One plundered, the other burned\u2026 We Europeans are the civilized ones, and for us the Chinese are the barbarians. This is what civilization has done to barbarism.\u201d \u2013 Victor Hugo on the burning of the Summer Palace<\/p>\n

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    The most famous of the Four Great Garden and the one you are most likely to see. It is situated in Beijing, though not near the centre. It took me 2 hours to get to the favorite home of Qing Emperors with subway! The Summer Palace is a vast collection of lakes, gardens and palaces. The beautiful Kunming Lake was artificially created to mimic the Western Lake in Hangzhou, the most beautiful of the old imperial capitals of China.<\/p>\n

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    Even though this area was popular with many imperial dynasties, the building of what will come to be known as the Old Summer Palace was started by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty. It soon became the favorite place of the Imperial family, replacing Chengde Mountain Resort, with two emperors \u2013 Jiaqing and Xianfeng \u2013 being born here.<\/p>\n

    [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com\/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTBJG8M-WVCFqQ9gCWsMg6TMl5jZp8bETzbYVFzC3ly_yNgDda2Cw0J0yWQZWCVZGIR_m6KJKSQnTWfF2BjUKQnF2PO7RVGt66M6gL-LNg&s=10″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” width=”87%” hover_enabled=”0″ caption_text=”Emperor Jiaqing” enable_caption_text=”on” image_caption_alignment=”center” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/platypus.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/images.webp” title_text=”images” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” caption_text=”Emperor Xianfeng” enable_caption_text=”on” image_caption_alignment=”center” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

    We can only imagine how the Old Summer Palace looked, its splendor, opulence and glory, as it was being built at the height of the Qing Dynasty\u2019s power during the long reign of Emperor Qianlong. Unfortunately, this great wonder was looted and almost completely destroyed by the Anglo-French forces during the Second Opium War. The Opium Wars are truly a sad event brought about by British greed and Chinese backwardness. In the Second Opium War, the Allied forces captured Taku forts, which protect the entry into Hai river from the sea. From there the Europeans entered Tianjin, which surrendered without resistance, and now nothing stood in their way to Beijing. The Allied forces were convinced the Chinese will now surrender so they sent their diplomats to Beijing. In what can only be described as the act of complete lunacy, the Chinese capture and torture these diplomats. At one point, Emperor Xianfeng even orders their execution, but luckily for the people of Beijing, his general disobeyed the Emperor\u2019s order. After the Europeans released their countryman from Chinese captivity, only to find out some of them have died under torture, they decided to teach the Chinese a lesson. The lesson was the annihilation of the pride of China \u2013 the Old Summer Palace.<\/p>\n

    [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_gallery gallery_ids=”2972,2973,2974,2975″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_gallery][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

    This remarkable woman, who excelled more in Machiavellian politics than in motherhood, will dominate over two Emperors and rule Chine for 52 years. A great lover of the Old Summer Palace, she made it her mission to rebuild it and bring it back to its former glory. However, China was going through its Century of Humiliation, with foreign powers \u2013 Europeans, Americans and Japanese \u2013 nibbling at its vast Empire, so she resorted to financing the reconstruction of the Summer Palace by skimming money from China\u2019s armed forces, in particular the navy. Unfortunately for Empress Dowager Cixi, financial mismanagement of the navy, which she spearheaded, greatly contributed to the devastating loss in the First Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895) and the loss of Taiwan. To this day, the Chinese despise her as a power-hungry woman that ruined China.<\/p>\n

    There is no other part of the Summer Palace which has received so much satire, ridicule and anger as the Marble Boat. While the Chinese navy was desperately trying to modernize to fend off Europeans and Japanese, Cixi was playing Admiral Nelson on her beloved Marble Boat.<\/p>\n

    [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/platypus.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/54-Infamous-Marble-Ship.jpg” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” caption_text=” Infamous Marble Ship” enable_caption_text=”on” image_caption_alignment=”center” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/platypus.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/54a.jpg” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

    However, all of the photos of the Summer Palace in this blog are made possible by Empress Dowager Cixi. Without her and her determination, this magnificent monument of Chinese architecture and culture would have probably been lost forever.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

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    Four Great Gardens China is renowned for its magnificent gardens. At the same time, Chinese are obsessed with ranking and listing the best things \u2013 Five Great Mountains, Six Ancient Capitals, Four Sacred Mountains and Four Great Gardens. If you are enjoy gardens, these four gardens are a must visit! Humble Administrator Garden in Suzhou […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2941,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"1080","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2907","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-china"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/platypus.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/29.jpg?fit=2000%2C1500&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/platypus.hr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2907","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/platypus.hr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/platypus.hr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/platypus.hr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/platypus.hr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2907"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/platypus.hr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2907\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2998,"href":"https:\/\/platypus.hr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2907\/revisions\/2998"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/platypus.hr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2941"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/platypus.hr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2907"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/platypus.hr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2907"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/platypus.hr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2907"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}