Couple's Retreat Garden

Classical Gardens of Suzhou *
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Country	China
Type	Cultural
Criteria	i, ii, iii, iv, v
Reference	813
Region **	Asia-Pacific
Inscription history
Inscription	1997 (21st Session)
Extensions	2000
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List ** Region as classified by UNESCO

Couple's Retreat Garden (Chinese: 耦园; pinyin: Ŏu Yuán) located in Suzhou city, Jiangsu province, China is a famous classical Chinese garden. It is recognized with other classical Suzhou gardens as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

History

The original garden was built by Lu Jin, prefect of Baoning district, in 1874. It was purchased by Shen Bingcheng, the magistrate of Susong. who rebuilt it in its current form. He also changed the name to the Couple's Garden Retreat. This name refers to the garden's two parts and alludes to a couple.^[1] It is recognized with other classical Suzhou gardens as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Design

The 0.33 ha garden is divided into an east and west section by the residential core in the middle; an unusual composition for a classical garden.^[2] The eccentric design is continued in the form and details of many of the garden buildings, especially the Taosim Tower. The garden is located in the intersection of canals and is surrounded by water on three sides. It is accessible directly from the canal by boat. The West garden is composed of several structures grouped around a small grotto and a Library annex. It is structurally joined to the central residence. East Garden is the main garden of the complex. It consists of a grotto and pond ringed by a covered walkway that connects the structures. A smaller fruit orchard annex is attached.

Garden Design Elements with Description
West Garden
	Building Hall A five bay two story tower with east and west wings that served as the main residential compound.
	Couples Retreat Hall
	Eternal Spring
	Gatehouse
	Hall of Nobility A three bay hall with front porch
	Library Tower
	Old House with Woven Curtains Named for Shen Linshi. A three bay mandrian-duck hall with front and rear porches and annex.
	Pavilion of Longevity A square pavilion with enclouse on the north side.
	Wine Carriage House A three bay two story tower.
East Garden
	Among Mountains and Water A one bay open hall on the water with a full porch
	Balcony of No Frippary An artist's studio in a three bay hall with porch, with views into the cherry orchard.
	Collecting Fragrance Hall
	Kuxing Tower A unique one bay tower connected to the taoism practice tower.
	Moon Pavilion
	My Loveable Pavilion A square pavilion with porch annex, built as part of the original garden.
	Studio of the Returned Inkslab Named for the discovery of a lost inkslab by the grandson of the original owner. A three bay and two story tower.
	Taoism House A unique tower structure of two bays with a specific Northeast orientation according to Taoist principals.
	Thatched Cottage at the City Corner Based on a pun alluding to the love between herder boy and weaver girl, it is the primary Structure consisting of five bays and two stories. It is adjoined to Studio of the Returned Inkslab and Collecting Fragrance Hall.
	Wisteria Decorated Boat

• East Garden
• 

  Couple's Porch

See also

• Chinese garden
• Suzhou

Notes

1. ^ China, 2009
2. ^ Suzhou, 2009

References

• Suzhou Mingcheng Information Port Co., LTD, The Couple's Garden Retreat, http://www.suzhou.gov.cn/English/Travel/11.shtml, retrieved 2009-02-30 
• China Internet Information Center (June 24, 2004), The Couple's Garden, http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/woeld_heritage/99282.htm, retrieved 2009-02-30 
• Terebess Hungary LLC. (2009), The Couple Garden Retreat, http://www.terebess.hu/kert/magankert/garden7.html, retrieved 2009 
• Yuan (袁), Xuehan (学汉); Gong Jianyi (2004), The Classical Gardens of Suzhou (苏州古典园林), CIP, pp. 217, ISBN 7214037637, http://www.book-wind.com 

External links

• Shanghai News and Press Bureau (2009), The Couple Garden Retreat (Ou Yuan), http://arts.cultural-china.com/en/85Arts3743.html, retrieved 2009 
• Classical Gardens of Suzhou, UNESCO's official website on World Heritage site.
• Couple's Garden Retreat at Asian Historical Architecture.

Coordinates: 31°19′05.90″N 120°38′04.30″E / 31.318306°N 120.634528°E / 31.318306; 120.634528