Located in the western section of Jingde Road [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] in the center of the ancient city of Suzhou, Huangxiu Mountain Villa is a famous classical garden dating back to the Qing Dynasty. It is a historical monument under the protection of Jiangsu Province. Now the Suzhou Embroidery Research Institute is situated in the mountain villa.
The mountain villa is a classical garden mainly consisting of artificial hills, with an area of about 2,000 sq m. The artificial hills and halls make up about three fourths of the total area, and the water surface, about one fourth. The halls are arranged in front of a garden. The garden mainly comprises artificial hills. Rockwork encircled by a pool forms the centerpiece of the entire garden. To the west of the pool are a side chamber and a corridor. In the northwest of the garden stands a stonewall; in the north is the Makeup Autumn Galley; and in the northeast is the [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Half-Filled Pool in Autumn — Fangshan Pavilion.
The rockwork in the garden was constructed by Ge Yuliang, an expert in piling up artificial hills, in 1807, or the 12th year of the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty. It is the most outstanding agglomeration of rocks among all the gardens in Suzhou. The main peak of the rockwork rises in the southeast; and the secondary peak stands in the northwest, with water lingering between them. The main peak is 7.2 m high, and the ravine is about 12 m deep and over 60 m long. The interior of the rockwork is a maze of paths, caves, running streams, stone chambers, secluded ravines and surging peaks. With its imposing form arranged in a diversity of forms, this rockwork blends perfectly with the scenes in the entire garden to evoke memory of a masterpiece of traditional Chinese landscape painting. Hence it is known as the gem of the classical gardens in Suzhou. Chen Congzhou, a master of gardens, once said: "The artificial hills in the Huanxiu Mountain Villa [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] are among the best, showing diversified construction methods. A garden constructor who fails to see them is like a scholar who has never read the poems by Li Bai and Du Fu. The artificial hills in the garden occupy an important page in the history of Chinese gardens".
In December 1997, the Huanxiu Mountain Villa was included in the World Cultural Heritage List by the UNESCO.
The mountain villa is a classical garden mainly consisting of artificial hills, with an area of about 2,000 sq m. The artificial hills and halls make up about three fourths of the total area, and the water surface, about one fourth. The halls are arranged in front of a garden. The garden mainly comprises artificial hills. Rockwork encircled by a pool forms the centerpiece of the entire garden. To the west of the pool are a side chamber and a corridor. In the northwest of the garden stands a stonewall; in the north is the Makeup Autumn Galley; and in the northeast is the [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Half-Filled Pool in Autumn — Fangshan Pavilion.
The rockwork in the garden was constructed by Ge Yuliang, an expert in piling up artificial hills, in 1807, or the 12th year of the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty. It is the most outstanding agglomeration of rocks among all the gardens in Suzhou. The main peak of the rockwork rises in the southeast; and the secondary peak stands in the northwest, with water lingering between them. The main peak is 7.2 m high, and the ravine is about 12 m deep and over 60 m long. The interior of the rockwork is a maze of paths, caves, running streams, stone chambers, secluded ravines and surging peaks. With its imposing form arranged in a diversity of forms, this rockwork blends perfectly with the scenes in the entire garden to evoke memory of a masterpiece of traditional Chinese landscape painting. Hence it is known as the gem of the classical gardens in Suzhou. Chen Congzhou, a master of gardens, once said: "The artificial hills in the Huanxiu Mountain Villa [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] are among the best, showing diversified construction methods. A garden constructor who fails to see them is like a scholar who has never read the poems by Li Bai and Du Fu. The artificial hills in the garden occupy an important page in the history of Chinese gardens".
In December 1997, the Huanxiu Mountain Villa was included in the World Cultural Heritage List by the UNESCO.