Lion Grove Garden (Shizilin) @ SuZhou

After visiting HanShan Temple or "Cold Mountain Temple", we head to Lion Grove Garden (Shizilin), as that day was SuZhou public holiday the place is full of tourist from inside and outside.


Lion Grove Garden (Shizilin) is located on 23 Yuanlin Road, in the northeast of Suzhou-a city with profound cultural background and convenient developmental advantages. Lion Grove Garden is one of the four most famous and representative gardens of ancient classical style in Suzhou City. The other three are Blue Wave Pavilion (Canglangta), Lingering Garden (Liuyuan) and Humble Administrator's Garden (Zhuozhengyuan).


The Map Of Lion Grove Garden


The floor of the place is cover with coin like shape


a rock formation which look like a lion head.. can u see it??


lots of people that day


hello to our SuZhou local tour guild Mr Alex helping us taking group photos


This ship can't sail anywhere


the place


Built in 1342 during the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368) by Monk Tianru and a group of Zen Buddhist disciples as a memorial of their master-Monk Zhongfeng. Lion Grove Garden was donated to People's Republic of China. From then on, the garden entered a steady and well-protected period.

After lunch we head to the next destination YangZhou which took us about 5 hours drive to spend the night stay tune.

Hanshan Temple - Cold Mountain Temple ( SuZhou)

The entrance

The third day we arrive in SuZhou we went to HanShan Temple or "Cold Mountain Temple" a Buddhist temple and monastery. It is located at the town of Fengqiao (lit. Maple Bridge), about 5 kilometres west of the old city of Suzhou.

the ticket counter

Hanshan Temple is believed to have been founded during the Tianjian era (502-519) of the reign of Emperor Wu of Liang, in the Southern and Northern Dynasties period. The current name of the monastery derives from HanShan, the legendary monk and poet. Hanshan and his disciple Shide are said to have come to the monastery during the reign of Emperor TaiZong Of Tang Dynasty (627-649).

say hello our SuZhou local tour guild Alex is giving us some history lecture about the temple (cute?? does he resemble one of the HK actor??)

The Pagoda

I didn't climb up the Pagoda as there is a lot of tourists there at that time, here is the scene up the pagoda photos from witch,

Source: All 4 photos is from witch

Hanshan Temple is famed in East Asia because of the poem "A Night Mooring by Maple Bridge", by Tang Dynasty poet, Zhang Ji. The poem describes the melancholy scene of a dejected traveller, moored at night at Fengqiao, hearing the bells of Hanshan Temple:

didn't manage to capture this poem as there is lot of other tourists gather around it taking photos

The poem goes like this

Source: Wikipedia

月落烏啼霜滿天，- While I watch the moon go down, a crow caws through the frost;

江楓漁火對愁眠。- Under the shadows of maple-trees a fisherman moves with his torch;

姑蘇城外寒山寺，- And I hear, from beyond Suzhou, from
the temple on Cold Mountain,

夜半鐘聲到客船。- Ringing for me, here in my boat, the midnight bell.

The Bell




Back entrance of the temple


Stay tune for The Lion Grove Garden.

Hotels I Stay At During My Travel To Shanghai

Before I continue on my next travel post, I'm sure you all would like to know which hotels I stay at my entire Shanghai trip.

TaiLong Business Hotel at HangZhou staying on our first day on our arrival and final day at HangZhou

Morning view of the hotel


Night view of the hotel


SuZhou E-Centre Hotel



Beside the hotel, there is lots of flowers ( are those sakuras??)


YangZhou Yunjin International Hotel

I like this hotel service as they provide computer at every room but sadly can't log on to facebook and blogspot account due to China ban, but I can still able to log on to friendster account.


Anhui

Yellow Mountain (HuangShan)

HuangShan Gujin Hotel


Anhui

Tiandu International Hotel 5 star morning view



Tiandu International Hotel 5 star night view


Stay tune as I'll be blogging each the interior of the hotel in my next post.