Mountain Villa with Embracing Beauty
环秀山庄
A World Heritage garden famous for its lake-stone rockery built by Ge Yuliang, a master rockery builder of the Qing dynasty, often hailed as 'the finest rockery under heaven.'
Mountain Villa with Embracing Beauty is on Jingde Road in Gusu District and now houses the Suzhou Embroidery Research Institute. It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. The garden covers only about 2,000 square meters, and its highlight is the lake-stone rockery built by Ge Yuliang, a Qing-dynasty master of stone-stacking. Caves, cliffs, ravines, and stone bridges are all contained within it, and its ability to suggest a large landscape in a small space is considered the highest achievement of classical Chinese rockery. Admission is about 15 yuan, and visitors can also see the Suzhou embroidery exhibition hall. Opening hours follow the institute's announcements, so check before you go.
Opening hours
Approx. 08:30–16:30 (check on site)
Nearby sights
- Shantang Street
- Garden of Cultivation (Yipu)
- Garden of Pleasance
- Taohuawu Historic District
- North Temple Pagoda (Bao'en Temple)
- Guanqian Street & Xuanmiao Temple
- Quyuan Garden
- Suzhou Silk Museum