Huanxiu Mountain Villa is a lesser-known garden with the best rockeries in Suzhou.

Rockeries are a famous feature of Suzhou gardens. Although they are man-made, the craftsmanship of stacking stones into rockeries is amazing. Huanxiu Mountain Villa is a lesser-known garden famous for its rockeries. Huanxiu Mountain Villa is located at No. 272, Jingde Road, Gusu District, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province. It was built in the late Tang Dynasty and was originally the site of the Qian's Jingu Garden. After many changes, it became Jingde Temple in the Song Dynasty, the residence of the first assistant Shen Shixing in the Ming Dynasty, and Jiang Ji built a building and stacked stones here during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. Later, it was inhabited by Bi Yuan, Sun Shiyi, and others. In the twelfth year of Jiaqing, Sun Jun invited Ge Yuliang to reconstruct the rockery. In the twenty-ninth year of Daoguang, it became part of the Wang's ancestral hall "Gengyun Yizhuang" and was renamed "Huanxiu Mountain Villa." 💐Garden Features • Rockeries: The garden is mainly composed of rockeries. The rockeries stacked by Ge Yuliang are unique. Although the area is only half an acre, the rockeries are full of peaks and valleys. The main peak stands in the southeast, and the secondary peak is in the northwest. The mountain has dangerous paths, caves, and valleys, like a high road into the clouds, with a magnificent view. • Exquisite Layout: The garden is mainly composed of rockeries, with pools of water as a supplement, and there are not many buildings. The main mountain in the east of the pool and the secondary mountain in the north of the pool are continuous, and the pool water is winding like a belt. The mountain is alive because of the water, and the water surrounds the mountain. The combination of the two creates endless beautiful scenery. In addition, there are garden buildings such as Wenquan Pavilion and Buqiu Boat, which add to the charm and charm of the garden. • Simple Architecture: The architectural style is elegant and simple, integrating the agility of the water towns in the south of the Yangtze River and the delicacy of Suzhou gardens. There are buildings such as the Four-sided Hall and the Side Building. The white pine and phoenix trees in the garden also add a touch of elegance to the garden. At present, the rockeries in Huanxiu Mountain Villa are not accessible, and the zigzag bridge on the small pond is temporarily inaccessible. Walking inside, there is a vase door, and the inner door can be climbed to the back of the rockery. There is also a pomegranate tree. Tour Information Opening hours are 08:30–16:30, and ticket sales and admission stop at 16:00. After 2 pm, the stone bench under the maple tree on a sunny day is a good place to take photos. There will be beautiful shadows. The vase door at the back of the garden is also a good place to take photos. 📷: Nikon Z7ii