Gardens of Suzhou

　　With a history of more than 2,500 years, the ancient city of Suzhou,boasting splendid scenery,rich cultural heritage and abundant agricultural products ,is situated in the Lower Yangtze basin by the side of lake tai. Ever since the founding of Suzhou as the capital of the Wu Kingdom in 514 B.C.,it has been the political, economic and cultural center of the region.As a place famed for its well-known scholars,successful merchants, great architects and distinguished artists,Suzhou provides favorable conditions for the creation and development of classical gardens.

　　The earliest gardens of Suzhou ,which belonged to the King of Wu, can be traced far back to the Spring and Autumn period in the 6th century B.C. The Pijiang Garden was recorded as the earliest private garden--house dating from the 4th century Eastern Jin Dynasties. More gardens were built in the centuries that followed. During the prosperous Ming and Qing Dynasties, from the 16th to the 18th centuries that followed. During the prosperous Ming and Qing Dynasties,from the 16th to the 18th century in particular . Suzhou saw a booming economy . Consequently, the number of gardens in the city of Suzhou and its environs increased a great deal ,mounting to 200 odd.Dozens of them have survived to the present and are kept in a good state of preservation.With their numerical superiority and artistic perfection ,the classical gardens of Suzhou has had a good reputation in this part of China,popularly known as "the earthly paradise".

　　Laid out within a limited area by the house,a classical garden of Suzhou is a microcosm of the world made of the basic elements of water,stones,plants and different kinds of buildings with literary allusions.Like a freehand brushwork in traditional Chinese painting, it is the creation of "urban scenery" or an amicable environment that brings mansintosharmony with nature.Built in a period when privately-owned gardens were most flourishing, the Humble Administrator's Garden,the Lingering Garden ,the Master-of-Nets Garden and the Mountain Villa with Embracing Beauty,noted for their beautiful scenes,elegant buildings and literary connotations,represent the concentrated essence of wisdom of the Chinese and the finest specimens of all classical gardens of Suzhou. Like shining pearls, they are a brilliant part of Chinese cultural heritage.

　　Yellow Crane Tower

　　Yellow Crane Tower, situated at the summit of Snake Hill by Wuchang Bridge in Hubei Province, has been known as "one of the world's superb views" since ancient times. Along with the Yueyang Tower in Hunan and Prince Teng's Pavilion in Jiangxi, they are called the three famous towers in the region south of the Yangtze River. According to historical records, it was first built on the Yellow Crane Rock projecting over the Wuchang River in the second year (223) of the Huangwu reign period of the State of Wu during the Three Kingdoms Period. It became well known through the ages, especially for the poem "Yellow Crane Tower" by Cui Hao of the Tang Dynasty. The modern reconstruction project started in 1981, and was completed in 1985. The magnificent and imposing tower, 51.4 m in height, with five and ten exterior and interior stories, respectively, is characterized by overhanging eaves and tilted corners. There is a wonderful panoramic view from the top of the tower.

　　Yellow Crane Tower

　　Yellow Crane Tower (Huanghe Tower) is an imposing pagoda close to the Yangzi River. Located on top of the Snake Hill in Wuhan City, the Yellow Crane Tower was built 1,700 years ago (223 AD) during the Three Kingdoms Period. It is the most famous tower among the three well-known towers (the Yellow Crane Tower, Yueyang Tower andTenwang Pavilion) in south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

　　At first it was a wine-shop run by Mrs. Xin. A Taoist priest wanted to thank Mrs. Xin for her favor of free wines of thousand cups, so he drew a magic crane on the wall and told it to dance to live things up before he left. After that this wine shop was always full of guests and the business is booming. The Taoist priest revisited the wine shop after ten years. This time he played the flute and then rode on the crane to fly op to the sky. Therefore Mrs. Xin built a tower named Yellow Crane Tower after she got rich.

　　Splendid and magnificent, naturally it becomes an interesting place within the four seas. Celebrities in successive Zhang Juzhen etc. have come here to make merry and compose poetry. Cui Hao's poet "Yellow Crane Tower" has been regarded as an excellent work for a long time and many people can recite it. This poet has made a lot of people to remember Yellow Crane Tower, and so it is a natural thing for them to feel excited when the new tower has been completed.

　　There are a lot of touching legends about this tower, one of which being as follows: A man named Fei Wei practice austerities to be an immortal in Yellow Crane Hill, and then he go to heaven riding on a yellow crane. Cui Hao's poet was concerned with legend. The Yellow Crane Tower has been crowned with unrivaled scenery under heaven.

　　The Tower used to be of complete wood structure. Destroyed many times by fire, the tower was rebuilt several times. Complete renovation of the tower began in 1981, and was completed and open to public in 1985. The design of the new tower was modeled on its last design of the Qing Dynasty.

　　The old Yellow Crane Tower was a three-storey building, which was 9 zhangs and 9 chis high (with 7 chis high bronze top). The new tower looks very magnificent with five storeies, which is 51.4 meters high in all (with 5 meters high gourd shape top) and 20 meters than the old one. The ground floor of the old tower is 15 meters wide in each side and the new one's ground floor is 20 meters wide. Therefore we can say that Yellow Crane Tower has been reconstructed instead of being renowated.

　　The new tower was designed according to people's modern needs and varying aesthetic conceptions, and at the same time it has kept some characteristics of the old one.

　　Yueyang Tower

　　Yueyang Tower, standing on the city wall of the West Gate of Yueyang City by the Dongting Lake in the north of Hunan Province, is one of the three famous towers in the region south of the Yangtze River. It has long enjoyed the reputation of being the "first tower under heaven," as the Dongting Lake is known as the "first water under heaven." It is said that it was used as a parade tower by Lu Su, a general of the State of Wu during the Three Kingdoms Period. It became more famous when the essay "On Yueyang Tower" was written by Fan Zhongyan in the fifty year (1045) of the Qingli reign period of the Northern Song Dynasty. The timber-structured three-storied main building with a double-eaved roof is surrounded by a veranda on which is a carved bench of impressive workmanship.