User:Jiajing Liu/sandbox

My Summary[edit]
Hello everyone, my topic is about a classical Chinese Garden called Lion Forest Garden.

It is a traditional Suzhou Garden with a long history since Yuan Dynasty of China.

I hope to improve this article by adding more scientific resources including the number of tourists each year, the ticket price, the major tourist attractions etc.

Also, the article needs to be improved by adding more backgrounds.

sources: https://mar.mcgill.ca/article/view/35/30



Article
The Lion Forest Garden (Suzhou Wu: Sy tsy lin yoe, ) is a garden located at 23 Yuanlin Road in Pingjiang District, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China. The garden is famous for the large and labyrinthine grotto of taihu rocks at its center. The name of the garden is derived from the shape of these rocks, which are said to resemble lions. The garden is recognized with other classical gardens in Suzhou as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

History and awards


"Of all the famous rock-gardens in history, only one has survived. This is the so-called 'Lion Garden' in Suzhou ." The Lion Forest Garden was built in 1342 during the Yuan Dynasty by a Zen Buddhist monk, Wen Tianru, in memory of his teacher Abbot Zhongfeng. At that time the garden was part of the Bodhi Orthodox Monastery (菩提正宗). The name of the garden is derived from the lion-shaped taihu rocks, which in turn were built as a reference to the symbolic lion in the Lion's Roar Sutra. According to a garden record of the Yuan dynasty, there were ten thousand bamboo plants and many eccentric rocks in the Lion Forest. Among those rocks, one peak of them looks like a lion, thus, the garden has named The Lion Forest Garden. The name also refers to the Lion Peak of Mount Tianmu in Lin'an City, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, where Abbot Zhongfeng attained nirvana. At that time, the garden was 6,670 m2 and was covered in rock and bamboo. After Wen Tianru's death, the garden fell into disrepair, but in 1589 another Buddhist monk, Mingxing, rebuilt the garden. In 1703, the Kangxi Emperor visited the garden, and in 1765, the Qianlong Emperor also visited the garden and left a tablet True Delight personally inscribed by him as a gift. It is said he has been to The Lion Grove Garden for six times. He also had a replica of the garden constructed in the Changchun garden of the Summer Palace and at the Chengde Mountain Resort.The magistrate of Heng Prefecture (Hunan), Huang Xingzu bought the garden , and renamed it "She Garden". In 1771, his son Huang Xi, rebuilt the garden and gave it the name "Garden of Five Pines".

Starting in 1850, the garden fell into disrepair once again. In 1917, Shanghai pigment merchant, Bei Runsheng purchased the garden and finished the restoration in 1926. Many buildings and rocks in the garden have been preserved since the restoration. He added more tourist attractions and prepared to open the garden to the public. Bei Runsheng is also the great uncle of the world greatest architect I. M. Pei. After the death of Bei Runsheng in 1945. The Lion Forest Garden was managed by Bei Runsheng's grandson Bei Hwanzhang. After renovation, The Lion Grove Garden has officially opened to the public and managed by Suzhou garden management office. According to official signs posted in the garden, the Bei family "donated" the garden to the Chinese government in 1949. This words on the signs seem curious because all private property was nationalized by the Communist Party in the same year. The garden was not opened to the public until 1956. The garden's design attracted the attention of notable visitors, such as the painter Ni Zan, who created the painting Picture Scroll of Lion Grove in 1373 and the painter Xu Ben with his masterpiece Twelve Scenic Spots in Lion Grove Garden.

Design


Lion Grove Garden is praised as the "Kingdom of Rockery". The garden is an inspiration for some artists who appreciate the beauty of nature. The 1.1 ha garden is divided into two main parts, a housing complex and rockery around a central pond. In addition to the 22 buildings the garden also houses 25 tablets, 71 steles, 5 carved wooden screens, and 13 ancient specimen trees, some dating back to the Yuan Dynasty. The garden is most famous for its elaborate grotto of taihu rocks. This 1154 m2 grotto contains a maze of 9 paths winding through 21 caves across 3 levels. The pond divides the grotto into the east and west sections. The formal entrance to the western section is called the Eight Diagram Tactics located across the Jade Mirror Bridge from the Pointing at Cypress Hall. The taihu stone peaks are located atop this grotto. The most famous attraction in the grotto is the Lion Peak, surrounded by four other stones - sandesh bansal, Xuan Yu, Tu Yue, and Ang Xiao - which collectively form the Famous Five Peaks. There is a folktale about two immortals, Iron-Crutch Li and Lü Dongbin, who wandered into the maze of the Lion Grove and lost their way, after which they settled in a cave to play chess.

Notable Tourist Attractions
Hu Xin Pavilion (湖心亭) : The winding bridge connects the east and west. It is the best place to view the waterfall. So also known as "waterfall view pavilion".

Standing Snow Hall（立雪堂）: We can see a pair of poetic couplet when entering the Standing Snow Hall. There is a story behind in the couplet, praising about the snowy view when two students standing outside their teacher's door.

Wen Mei Shelf (问梅阁) : In the Wen Mei Shelf, furniture such as wood window, desks, chairs, even the ground are all carved into the shape of a plum blossom. Decorative paintings and calligraphy are also related to the symbol of plum blossom. Outside Wen Mei Shelf are some plum blossoms create the harmony with the whole architecture.

See Mountain Building（见山楼）: It is a two floors building leans on the mountains and adjacent to the water. People can enjoy the park landscape in this building.

Flying Waterfall Pavilion（飞瀑亭）：Flying Waterfall Pavilion with its waterfall is the highest point of the Lion Grove Garden.

Pavilion of Pure Enchantment （真趣亭）：In 1762, Emperor Qianlong went down to the south of the China and visited The Lion Grove Garden. He passed by the scene and found it interesting, so he wrote down "真趣" which means "enchantment" to express his love to this place. The place thus named Pavilion of Pure Enchantment after his visit.

Fan Pavilion（扇亭）： The lavish pavilion is designed like an open folding fan. It is the perfect spot to view flower beds, bamboos and cherry trees.

Plant Bamboo Shelf（修竹阁）：The Bamboo Shelf is built on water with no walls between the north and south. We can enjoy different views from different directions inside the shelf.

Logistics
The Tourist Attractions Rating Categories of China has rated the Lion Forest Garden as a national tourist attraction of grade AAAA.

Lion Grove Garden is open 7:30 to 17:30, from March 1 to October 15. The garden is open from 7:30 to 17:00 from October 16 to the end of February.

Tickets for peak season: 40 yuan / person (April, May, July, August, September, October)

Fares in the off-season: 30 yuan / person (January, February, March, June, November, December)

The garden is located at 23 Yuanlin Road in Pingjiang District and can be reached by taxi and public transportation.