'Above there is heaven, below there is Suzhou-Hangzhou': for gardens, canals, food, operas, silk and scholastic activities - Classical Gardens of Suzhou 813; The Grand Canal 1443; Kun Qu opera 00004
This post marks the 5th anniversary of my blog.
What and Why
The quote 'Above there is heaven, below there is Suzhou-Hangzhou (Chinese: 上有天堂、下有苏杭, Shangyou tiantang, Xiayou Su-hang)' aptly describes how beautiful Suzhou (苏州) has always been in the eyes of all Chinese. The city has been an important centre of culture, and has developed its own unique regional Wuyue (吴越) culture in terms of landscape and architecture, trade, gastronomy, scholastic activities throughout all dynasties of China (中国, Zhongguo), including today's China.
The cultural depth and charm of the city makes it one of the best touristic cities in the world, and in particular the city is famous for its Suzhou-styled classical gardenscapes (苏州园林, Suzhou yuanlin), which was developed over a period of more than a millennium. These urban gardens, mostly built by scholars, were constructed using rocks, plantations, water bodies, temples and pavilions to mimic natural sceneries, and is being imitated in all parts of China, so much so that it became a standard by itself.
Suzhou has been in existence for more than 5,000 years, making it one of the most ancient cities of the country. At one point, especially during its involvement in trades along the Silk Road (丝绸之路, Sichouzhilu) it was even classified as one of the world's top-ten cities. In parallel, the strategic location of Suzhou at a main estuarial point ensures it becomes a major trading post throughout history, further prospering the city. As a result another main feature of the city is the extensive presence of waterways and canals within and around to foster and develop trades. These canals eventually formed one of the main segments, the Jiangnan Canal (江南运河, Jiangnan yunhe) section of the Grand Canal (大运河, Dayunhe). The famed explorer Marco Polo was so impressed by Suzhou's sceneries and waterways during his journeys that he dubbed the city 'Venice of the East (Italian: Venezia d'Oriente)'.
Suzhou is also enlisted as one of the UNESCO City of Crafts and Folk Art.
Toponymy
The word su (苏) by itself means birth although this is not how the city is named at all. Legends have it that the city was formed by a very respected minister named Su (胥) in the beginning of human civilisation, when he was awarded the region to be under his government. The area was thus named Gusu (姑胥), with the word gu (姑) being a meaningless filler-word itself. The city name Gusu, however was considered inauspicious during the Zhou (周) dynasty, and thus a word of similar pronunciation su (苏) was chosen to replace it. The traditional Chinese writing of the word su (蘇) includes parts denoting vegetation, fish and rice-grain, symbolising prosperity and abundance. Eventually the city became Gusu (姑苏) and later the word gu (姑) was dropped.
See
The highlights in Suzhou are definitely the inscribed classical gardens, especially the four great gardens namely:
Humble Administrator Garden (拙政园, Zhuozhengyuan), during the Song (宋) dynasty;
Lingering Garden (留园, Liuyuan), Yuan (元) dynasty;
Great Wave Pavilion (沧浪亭, Canglangting), Ming (明) dynasty;
Lion Grove Garden (狮子林, Shizhilin), Qing (清) dynasty.
Coincidentally each represents the style from a different Chinese dynasty. All of these urban gardens are not particularly big in area. However within its respective small areas, the designer used all sorts of artistic skills, especially the four components: stone, plantation, architecture and water to decorate the spaces and created an almost uniquely pleasant landscape, while retaining the deep and high-class cultural values of the city.
Humble Administrator Garden (拙政园)
While the site was built as early as the mid-12th century CE, the original garden was destroyed and rebuilt multiple times until in early 16th century CE, a retired administrator Wang Xianchen (王献臣) bought the dilapidated site and started the garden's reconstruction for his retirement. Wang himself had an unaccomplished political career and experienced ups but mostly downs. He quoted a small passage from the famous scholar of the Jin (晋) dynasty Pan Yue's (潘岳) prose An Idle Life (闲居赋, Xianjufu) to describe his retirement life in the residence, 'I enjoy a carefree life by planting trees and building my own house...I irrigate my garden and grow vegetables to eat...such a life suits an unaccomplished official like me... (筑室种树，逍遥自得…灌园鬻蔬，以供朝夕之膳…此亦拙者之为政也, zhu shi zhong shu, xiaoyao zìde…guan yuan yu shu, yi gong zhaoxì zhi shan…ci yi zhuozhe zhi wei zheng ye)', and hence the residence was humbly named. Wang probably would never have anticipated this landmark actually made him very famous after he passed, and the site is possibly the most important of all gardens in Suzhou.
Similar to other classical gardens in Suzhou, the garden contains numerous pavilions and bridges set amongst a labyrinthe of stones, water bodies and islands, all of which are the main features of Suzhou gardens. Rocks are designed to cut through the wall, making visitors feel like they are exploring a mountain in nature. The plants are planted to represent all seasons: peony for spring, lotus for summer, osmanthus in autumn and plum in winter in different sections of the garden.
The garden can be roughly divided into eastern, central and western section, with the most of the main sights located in the central section. The central section is said to recreate the scenery of the mythical island of Penglai (蓬萊). The garden is extremely crowded, it is after all probably the number one landmark of the city.
Lingering Garden (留园)
The Lingering Garden features a central connected by several covered walkways. The main garden encircles a pond and an artificial grotto constructed of yellow stone granite. The name of the garden came from one of its earlier owner Liu Su (刘恕), as the word linger (留) is homophonic with his surname Liu (刘).
The highlight of the central grotto is the cloud-capped peak (瑞云峰, Ruiyunfeng), as below. The stone is referred to one of the three rare stone sculptures in the Jiangnan (江南) region.
Great Wave Pavilion (沧浪亭)
Similar to Humble Administrator Garden, the Great Wave Pavilion shares a parallel political story. The name of the garden from the Ming dynasty is derived from a verse in the poem Fishermen (渔父, Yufu) by the famed politician Qu Yuan (屈原) during the Warring States (战国, Zhanguo) period, in his book Cuci (楚辞), 'If the Canglang River is dirty I wash my muddy feet; If the Canglang River is clean I wash my ribbon (沧浪之水清兮可以濯我缨，沧浪浊兮可以濯我足, Canglang zhi shuiqing xi keyi zhuo wo ying, canglang zhuo xi keyi zhuo wo zu)', alluding to an honest official who would rather withdraw himself from politics rather than act in a corrupt manner. The owner Su Shunqing (苏舜钦) chose this verse to express his feelings after his removal from office.
Unfortunately I did not have time to visit this garden during my two visits.
Lion Grove Garden (狮子林)
Amongst the many classical gardens in Suzhou, my personal and many people's favourite would be Lion Grove Garden. The entire residential complex, built during mid-14th century CE, is populated with either natural or sculptured rocks, many of them resembling lions (狮子, shizhi) and hence the name. The entire garden is literally a maze within a maze: the garden itself is a bit mazy itself and within it a highly intertwined massive rock grotto-maze is constructed surrounding the main lake.
The entire rock maze is made from Taihu rocks (太湖石, taihushi), characterised by its high porosity, forming various small rock mountains. Due to its porosity, it is also relatively easy to sculpture. These rockmountains integrate with the lake perfectly with pavilions, rock boats, temples and the residential buildings to create an unsurpassable urban gardenscape.
In fact the reason why stones were used as a decoration item in Suzhou was that during the time it was a trend for scholars to collect stone items, especially those with interesting natural shapes. Remember all these gardens were built by scholars.
The main room of the complex is called the Yanyutang (燕誉堂).
Honestly it did take me a bit of time to get out of the maze: it is both mesmerisingly beautiful and truly entertaining. The maze is so well-designed that although one might spot something or someone nearby, it will take a long convoluted route to reach that spot. My son definitely enjoyed climbing up and down exploring the entire rock maze, which took us almost two hours.
Master of Nets Garden (网师园)
The Master of Nets Garden (网师园, Wangshiyuan) is another classical Suzhou garden which makes use of the interplay of rocks and water. Built during the mid-12th century CE, it is one of the smallest classical gardens. The garden was originally named 'Fisherman Hermitage (渔隐, Yuyin)'. It was later renamed to its current name as Suzhou people referred to fishermen as 'master of nets (网师, wangshi)'.
The design of the garden is similar to the Lion Grove Garden, with the building complex surrounding an artificial lake. The place is decorated with numerous rock mountains and decors as in all other classical gardens. The most important feature of the garden is its 'night garden', which is a combination of traditional night-time music performances and garden art under moonlight. Hence this garden's opening hours last until after 8 pm.
There are a few more WHS-listed gardens which we did not visit:
We clearly did not visit all of them, hopefully we would return.
North Temple Pagoda (北寺塔)
The North Temple Pagoda (北寺塔, Beisita) is an octagonal pagoda built during the Ming dynasty, although historical records suggest a pagoda was already constructed in the site since the 3rd century CE. It was originally eleven-storey but was burnt down and rebuilt to its present nine-storey structure, which until the modern times had been Suzhou tallest building.
Tiger Hill (虎丘)
Tiger Hill (虎丘, Huqiu) is an integrated tourist destination in Suzhou famed for its environment. King Helu (阖闾, né 姬光, Jiguang) of the Western Zhou (西周, Xizhou) dynasty was buried until the hill. It is so-named because the hill resembles a crouching tiger. The area is relatively large and includes a number of tourist features:
Sword-testing rock (试剑石, Shijianshi) - A rock cut cleanly cleft into two pieces by a legendary sword;
Yunyanshi (云岩寺) pagoda (as picture above) - The Suzhou version of the Tower of Pisa (Italian: Torre di Pisa), this 1,000-year old tower leans 3° towards the northeast direction due to column damage. A recent repair has stabilised the structure;
Thousand People Rock (千人石, Qianrenshi) - a reddish-hue rock plaza near Yunyanshi pagoda. Legend has it that after the burial of King Helu, his son ordered the mass-killing of the thousand craftsmen who were involved in his father's burial in order to conceal the exact location of the grave. As a result their blood stained the plaza red;
Sword point (剑池, Jianchi) - It is believed that 3,000 swords were buried under the pond as a pay of respect to King Helu when he died. This was never confirmed.
Hanshan Temple (寒山寺）
Hanshan Temple (寒山寺, Hanshansi) is a very famous Buddhist temple built along a branch of the Jiangnan Canal. Literally meaning 'cold mountain temple', although its name actually derives from the monk Hanshan (寒山) who arrived at the temple during its formative years in the 6th century CE to serve as its abbot.
The temple is particularly celebrated amongst Chinese scholars and students as it is described in one very popular poem 'A Night Mooring by Maple Bridge (楓橋夜泊, Fengqiaoyepo)' by the Tang (唐) poet Zhang Ji (张继). The poem forms an important part of the literature curriculum in China and hence almost all Chinese students would have heard of the temple and hence its high popularity.
During the Cultural Revolution (文化大革命, Wenhuadageming) the temple was looted and subsequently abandoned and was left dilapidated. The temple served at one point as the headquarter of the Red Guards (红卫兵, Hongweibing) and at times became a torture and persecution site by the guards against the citizens.
Jiangnan Canal (江南运河)
The Grand Canal of China is a system of artificial waterways and canals that link the North and central part of China, with the main stem connecting Beijing (北京) and Hangzhou (杭州), passing through Suzhou. It is the world's oldest and longest canal, reaching close to 1,800 km counting all its branches, minus some of those abandoned branches. The section passing through Suzhou is called the Jiangnan Canal and forms the key part of this canal at the southern end and have been the main transportation corridor since the 7th century CE until today. The section is still now heavily used by barges and ships for transportation.
The oldest section of the Grand Canal, near Beijing dates back to the 5th century CE. There is an interesting anecdotal story that explains part of the reasons for building one of the largest hydraulic projects in human history, and it relates to one's fondness on the tropical fruit lychee (荔枝, lizhi). Since the times of the Han (汉) dynasty from 2nd century BCE to 2nd century CE, various emperors were known to like lychee a lot and were looking at various means to transport fresh lychees from the south. One things led to another and this became a key reason to dig up a 1,000 km canal to ship lychees all the way from the south to the ancient capital.
While many sections of the Grand Canal had fallen out of favour and had been left unused for a long time, the current Jiangnan Canal is still heavily utilised and is largely responsible for much of the economic development of the region. The canal in Suzhou is generally a minimum of 100 m wide even in the city centre, but still suffered from traffic jams and water pollutions. This also leads to a Chinese saying 'After Suzhou there are no ferries to take. (苏州过后无艇搭。, Suzhou guohou wutingda)‘ meaning one really need to seize the opportunity when it arises. This shows the importance of Suzhou's canals as a transportation hub over the years.
Other than trade, the canal became a cradle of information and cultural exchange and a number of cultures and products had arisen along the canal, the cultivation of silk being one of them, not to mention the beautiful sceneries along the banks. Nowadays many of the smaller branches of the Jiangnan Canal had become major tourist spots, with gondolas or boats wading near high-class restaurants along the two banks, similar to the blogged Amsterdam.
Buy and Do
Kunqu (昆曲)
Kunqu (昆曲) is one of the oldest and most refined forms of Chinese opera, with a history that spans several centuries. It originated during the late Yuan Dynasty and reached its peak during the Ming and early Qing dynasties. It is an art form developed directly from the nearby Kunshan (昆山) and hence its name but has found its new adopted home in Suzhou, with Suzhou being its new hub.
Its early development is attributed to the playwright and musician Wei Liangfu (魏良辅), who reformed the existing musical styles by blending northern and southern Chinese musical traditions. This synthesis resulted in a unique, mellifluous style that became immensely popular among the elite of the Ming and Qing courts. Kunqu is recognised for its highly sophisticated and intricate artistry, combining elements of literature, music, dance, and drama into a comprehensive and elegant performance tradition.
Kunqu is renowned for its musical sophistication, characterised by a slow tempo and the delicate, lyrical quality of its soft melodies. The music is traditionally performed using a small ensemble, including the dizi (笛子), sheng (笙) and pipa (琵琶), and various types of percussion. The performance style in Kunqu is often described as graceful, elegant but fluid. Movements in Kunqu are carefully choreographed to convey meaning and emotion, with particular attention given to the use of various facial expressions. The costumes are richly decorated with intricate embroidery and designs, adding to the visual splendour of the performance. Costumes and makeup in Kunqu are elaborate and symbolic, reflecting the characters' roles, social status, and personalities, similar to Cantonese opera Yueju (粤剧).
Recalling and comparing with Yueju in our blogged Jiangmen (江门), my personal observation is that Yueju features a more melodic, natural and lyrical style compared to Kunqu. In terms of makeup and costumes, they do look fairly similar. The performance seems less formalised and hence more accessible, making it popular amongst a wider audience. Of course this is my personal amateurish observation only, probably biased as I was brought up with Yueju and in no way this undermines this important ICH. By the way Kunqu is one the first cultures to be inscribed into UNESCO ICH.
We visited the Suzhou Museum of Opera and Theater (苏州戏曲博物馆, Suzhou Xiqu Bowuguan) and it covers everything about this ICH. Apparently the one that I watched, the youth and abridged version of The Peony Pavilion (牡丹亭, Mudanting) is one of the most famous of Kunqu operas, and its full version runs more than one full 24-hour!
Silk (丝绸)
Suzhou is renowned for its centuries-old silk industry and sericulture. Known as the 'silk capital of China' Suzhou's association with silk dates back over 2,500 years, Suzhou silk, celebrated for its exquisite quality and intricate patterns, became a coveted commodity along the ancient Silk Road, connecting China to Europe and the Middle East. I actually consider it bizarre that Suzhou does not technically form part of the Silk Road, considering its importance.
The city's silk production flourished during the Tang and Song dynasties, reaching its zenith in the Ming and Qing dynasties. The city's climate and geographical conditions are ideal for sericulture, the cultivation of silkworms. Mulberry trees, essential for feeding silkworms, thrive in the region's fertile soil and temperate climate. Suzhou artisans perfected the art of silk weaving, creating delicate textiles that range from luxurious brocades to fine embroideries.
Suzhou silk is not just a fabric: it is a symbol of the city's cultural heritage, identity and artistry. So much that the name China actually derives from the Latin word 'Serica' which in turns came from the Greek word 'Σῆρες (Sêres)', coming from the Chinese word '絲 (si)' meaning 'silk'.
The meticulous craftsmanship involved in producing Suzhou silk embodies the elegance and sophistication of Chinese culture. Today, Suzhou remains a vibrant centre for silk production, blending ancient techniques with modern innovations, continuing its legacy as a pivotal hub in the global silk industry.
The Suzhou Silk Museum (苏州丝绸博物馆, Suzhou Sichou Bowuguan) in the city offer visitors a glimpse into the traditional processes of silk production, from sericulture and spinning to weaving and dyeing. Definitely worth a visit.
Eat and Drink
Suzhou cuisine (苏帮菜)
Suzhou, with its rich culture, certainly has its own unique cuisine, known as Subangsai (苏帮菜). It is characterised by a rich, sweet taste using plenty of sauce and oil. A number of must-try Suzhou includes:
Squirrel fish (松鼠桂鱼, Songshuguiyu)
Fried shrimps with Biluo tea (碧螺虾仁, Biluoxiaren)
Crab roe noodles (蟹黄面, Xiehuangmian)
Dongpo braised pork (东坡肉, Dongporo), as picture above.
Travel Suggestions and Logistics
Suzhou is well covered by its metro system and almost every spots mentioned above are accessible by metro. Suzhou does not have a civil airport but is only 30 minutes away by high-speed train from Shanghai (上海). Suzhou can be quite congested in terms of traffic.
Suzhou is a very touristic city and deserves at least three to four days of visit, covering the other non-WHS sites, which would require us to plagiarise an entire guidebook. Partnering Suzhou with Shanghai, Hangzhou and the surrounding Taihu Lake (太湖) will complete a full good week of holidays.
It has to be reminde that tourist spots in China are unnaturally pricey.
UNESCO Inscriptions
Classical Chinese garden design, which seeks to recreate natural landscapes in miniature, is nowhere better illustrated than in the nine gardens in the historic city of Suzhou. They are generally acknowledged to be masterpieces of the genre. Dating from the 11th-19th century, the gardens reflect the profound metaphysical importance of natural beauty in Chinese culture in their meticulous design. The Grand Canal is a vast waterway system in the north-eastern and central-eastern plains of China, running from Beijing in the north to Zhejiang province in the south. Constructed in sections from the 5th century BC onwards, it was conceived as a unified means of communication for the Empire for the first time in the 7th century AD (Sui dynasty). This led to a series of gigantic construction sites, creating the world’s largest and most extensive civil engineering project prior to the Industrial Revolution. It formed the backbone of the Empire’s inland communication system, transporting grain and strategic raw materials, and supplying rice to feed the population. By the 13th century it consisted of more than 2,000 km of artificial waterways, linking five of China’s main river basins. It has played an important role in ensuring the country’s economic prosperity and stability and is still in use today as a major means of communication.
Kun Qu Opera developed under the Ming dynasty (fourteenth to seventeenth centuries) in the city of Kunshan, situated in the region of Suzhou in southeast China. With its roots in popular theatre, the repertory of songs evolved into a major theatrical form. Kun Qu is one of the oldest forms of Chinese opera still performed today.
It is characterized by its dynamic structure and melody (kunqiang) and classic pieces such as the Peony Pavilion and the Hall of Longevity. It combines song and recital as well as a complex system of choreographic techniques, acrobatics and symbolic gestures. The opera features a young male lead, a female lead, an old man and various comic roles, all dressed in traditional costumes. Kun Qu songs are accompanied by a bamboo flute, a small drum, wooden clappers, gongs and cymbals, all used to punctuate actions and emotions on stage. Renowned for the virtuosity of its rhythmic patterns (changqiang), Kun Qu opera has had a considerable influence or more recent forms of Chinese opera, such as the Sichuan or Beijing opera.
The opera has suffered a gradual decline since the eighteenth century because of the high-level technical knowledge it also requires from its audience. Of the 400 arias regularly sung in opera performances in the mid-twentieth century, only a few dozen continue to be performed. The Kun Qu opera survived through the efforts of dedicated connoisseurs and various supporters who seek to attract the interest of a new generation of performers.
References
Comments
Please share your thoughts and comments about the blog. If you need suggestions to build a travel itinerary, please let me know. More than willing to help. I would also like to build a bespoke-travel community around UNESCO WHS and ICH.
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