Atlas of China
Retreat & Reflection Garden 退思园Tuìsī Yuán
National heritage site · Suzhou, Jiangsu
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Days to budget
- Half a day
- City
- Suzhou
- Region
- Jiangsu
- Type
- Heritage
- Listed as
- National heritage site
About Retreat & Reflection Garden
A late-Qing garden in Tongli built in 1885–1887 for Ren Lansheng, an official dismissed from his post in Anhui, and designed by the painter Yuan Long; its name comes from a line in the Zuo Zhuan about reflecting on one's faults in retirement. Unusually it is laid out along an east–west axis, with the family residence to the east and the main garden to the west, where halls, galleries and a boat-shaped pavilion sit low around a pond so that they seem to float on the water. It is one of the Classical Gardens of Suzhou on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
How to get to Retreat & Reflection Garden
In Tongli old town, about 20 km south-east of central Suzhou in Wujiang district, by Suzhou Metro Line 4 and a short bus or taxi ride, or by bus from Suzhou.
Nearby
- Zhouzhuang 周庄古镇 10 km
Jiangnan's most famous water town, famed for its Twin Bridges and merchant halls - Classical Gardens of Suzhou 苏州园林 20 km
Whole landscapes of rock, water and pavilion folded into a city block - Wuzhen Water Town 乌镇 50 km
Stone bridges and lantern-lit canals in a water town that's best after dark
Also within 20 km: Tongli Ancient Town 同里古镇 (under 10 km), Siben Bridge 思本桥 (under 10 km), Jingsi Garden 静思园 (under 10 km), Chuihong Bridge Ruins 垂虹断桥 (under 10 km), Suzhou Bay Golden Lakeshore 苏州湾黄金湖岸 (10 km), Precious Belt Bridge 宝带桥 (10 km).
On the map
Open Retreat & Reflection Garden on the illustrated map to see the terrain around it and what else is close, and to add it to a trip.
Open Retreat & Reflection Garden on the map