Yan Family Garden
Ponds, rockeries.
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An old water town at the foot of Lingyan Hill in Wuzhong District, south-west Suzhou, with white houses and stone bridges along its canals. By legend its name, meaning «timber blocking the canal», comes from the masses of wood brought here to build a palace on the hill for the ancient kingdom of Wu, and the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing visited it six times. It is known for its old private gardens: the Yan Family Garden with its ponds and rockeries, the Hongyin Mountain Villa, where the emperor is said to have stayed, the Old Pine Garden and the Bangyan Mansion, home of a top imperial examination graduate, and it has become a set for many historical TV dramas. The town is free to enter, while the joint ticket for the four gardens and mansions costs CNY 78, from 8.30 am to 4.30 pm, per visitor guides; Mudu station on metro Line 1 is nearby.
Ponds, rockeries.
Stone bridges.
Above the town.
188 Shantang Street, Mudu, Wuzhong District, south-west Suzhou
Yes, walking the town is free, while the four famous gardens and mansions share a CNY 78 joint ticket, from 8.30 am to 4.30 pm, per visitor guides.