The Seven-Star Par
Located on the east bank of the Li River, the Seven-Star Park is about 1.5kilometres away from the city proper. Encompassing more than 100 acres, the park was built after 1949. Points of interest include the Plough, PurpleMist Over the Camel Hump, Osmanthus trees and the Forest of Steles. The park shares all such beauties as “the strangeness of hills,” “the clearness of waters,” and “the marvels of caves” in Guilin. The Plough is a major attraction in Guilin and the park is named after it. The Plough board is formed by the four peaks of the Putuo Hill, which are called Tianshu, Tianxuan,Tianji and Tianquan, while the Plough tail consists of the following three peaks-Yuheng, Kaiyang and Yaoguang. They are known as the CrescentHill. The Camel Hill is just shaped like a camel squatting on the ground. The two limpid waters-the Xiaodong River and the Lingjian Stream flowing through.the park, join together under the old flower bridge (first built in the Song Dynasty) and then wind southward by the hill. Reflections of the green peak and the bridge in the water form a fascinating picture. Nestling in the hills and connected by winding paths are arbours and pavilions with red pillars and green tiles. Arched gates, flights of stone steps and thickly shaded walks, all seem to be very tranquil and pleasant. When the autumn wind begins to blow the entire park is filled with the perfume of golden cassia flowers. There are caves in the hills inside the park. The most illustrious one is the Seven-Star Cave.
Reed Flute Cave
Reed Flute Cave is huge and you walk through to see rock formations named as they look-one looking like a mother holding her baby, one like a crystal palace, another like melons and vegetables! It is full of stalagmites and stalactites. It is interesting to think that all the mountains could have caves inside and you might never know what is inside them.
Lingering Garden
brngering Garden is one of the cerebrated gardens in Suzhou. It was first constructed in 1460 in the Ming Dynasty. Winding throughout the garden is a700-metre-long corridor, and on the walls of which are a great number of stone carvings and windows. Within the garden is “Yet Another Village,”a winding path with a trellised grape vine canopy. All along the path are hundreds of potted flowers and trees, some as much as three hundred years old. The Lingering Garden boasts the largest rock in South China. It is nine metres high, weighs five tons and was transported from Lake Tai some four hundred years ago. Because of its height and shape it was named “Cloud-capped Peak.” Limestone boulders like this were quarried from mountains around the lake and sunk in it where they stayed, eroding into strange shapes with cavities and grooves. These are the rocks that have been used in the and scaping of many famous gardens in China.
Encompassing 3.3 hectares (8.15 acres), the garden is divided into four parts: east, west, central and north. Lingering Garden is the masterpiece of the garden building in ancient China and put under special preservation by the chinese Government.
Garden of Master-of-the-Net
Garden of the Master-of –the-Net is the smallest one in Suzhou, Its former owner, professing to be above politics, styled himself a fisherman. Within a half hectare of land a small bamboo hut was put up to serve as a study. It is decorated with palace lanterns and scroll of calligraphy and painting. In front of it peonies grow in abundance. Most fascinating is the small yard, only two meters across, separating the study from the back wall. Bamboo, banana and winter sweet grow in this tiny garden among man made rocks and hills. The three windows of the study frame the garden into Chinese landscape paintings. Part of the garden has been reproduced in the Metropolitan Museum in NewYork, USA.
Tang City
Tang City-Tang-dynasty-style architecture-is one of the scenic spots of Wuxi Lake Tai Movie and Television Base of CCTV, for the purpose of shooting film and television series in ancient costume. It encompasses 15 hectares (37.06 acres) and the building area is totally up to 30,000 square metres. In order to provide producers with kinds of scenery, from 1987, nearly 100 scenic spots were built, such as the Tang Palace, Agalloch Eaglewood Pavilion, Lishan Drawing Pavilion, Tang Street, Imperial Garden, Immortal Appears, Dufu Poetry Hall, the fresco of tour of Imperial Consort Yang, etc; It demonstrates the style of the imperial city of the Tang Dynasty. The large scale palace etiquette and the songs, dances in Tang style performed by the Tang City ensemble will give the tourist deep impression. The Tang City has the good function to shoot movie and television series. In includes a studio of 720 square metres, prop rooms and costume rooms in various sizes. It can also provide producers with accommodation and entertainments. The movie (Imperial Consort Yang), the television series (Emperor Tang Minghuang), and (Upright Comprehensive Art), (1992 Lantern Festival) and so on, were shot in the Tang City.
Tortoise Head Garden
By the lakeside are Plum Garden, Li Garden, Tortoise Head Garden, each Known for its unique beauty and history. Of the three, Tortoise Head Garden is the largest. Extending into the lake like a tortoise frolicking in the water, it offers the best view of the lake. On a misty day, it is especially poetic. With the fog-covered Turtle Islets in the distance and a fishing boat drifting past, it is a scene found elsewhere only in a traditional Chinese landscape painting; Tourists pick their way over lakeside rocks to have a look at the famous inscription on the cliff carved during the Ming Dynasty by an anonymous tourist. Done in powerful strokes, it says “Embracing Wu and Yue.” Lake Tai is so big that it takes in part of Wu and part of Yue, the ancient names for Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces.
