LION'S DEN GARDEN

The garden of the Lion's Grove was built in 1336 by Tian Lu, a Buddhist monk, in honour of his master, Zhang Feng. Tian Lu had inhabited Lion's Peak in Zhejiang province, and decided to resume this name for this garden, many rocks in the shape of lions. The whole hectare is prepared on the model of a rectangle (a traditional form in China). The northern part is mainly occupied by water plans, and the south rises in a rockeries. The main building is the Hirondelle of the swallow (Yanyyu Tang), which is where major receptions were held. The room contains a painted wood screen on which the garden plan is engraved on the back, a description of the renovations undertaken by the last owner in 1920.

In the north, the Contemplation Hall of the summits and cypress (Yi Feng Zhi Bai Xuan), a two storey pavilion where one of the main attractions of the garden stands: a set of rockeries and trees several times old.

In the south, the Ourselves Clouds (Woyun Shi) is the quietest place in the garden. Its originality lies in the variety and quality of its rockeries from Lake Taihu. The ingenious passage, which stretches from north to south and from east to west, allows to wander through the gré and discover the garden in its intimacy.

The garden is a UNESCO World Heritage SITE.