Suzhou Master of the Nets Garden Travel Guide

The Master of the Nets Garden was originally built during the Southern Song Dynasty, on the former site of Shi Zhengzhi's Wanjuan Hall, a literati from Yangzhou, and was named 'Fisherman's Retreat', but later fell into disuse. During the Qing Dynasty's Qianlong era, it was purchased and rebuilt by the retired Minor Court Attendant Song Zongyuan, who renamed it the 'Master of the Nets Garden'. The Master of the Nets Garden is a typical private garden that combines a residence with a garden, covering about half a hectare. It is themed around water, with a layout that is exquisite, compact, and reasonable, and a structure that is ingenious and elegant. The garden within a garden, and scenery within scenery, makes the small seem large. Despite its size, it does not feel small and is the most delicate and exquisite among all Suzhou gardens. It is known as the 'pinnacle of small gardens' in Suzhou and is considered a model of 'less is more' in Chinese gardens. Tour Route: Entrance Hall ➡️ Sedan Hall ➡️ Wanjuan Hall ➡️ Xie Xiu Tower ➡️ Ladder Cloud Room ➡️ Wufeng Study ➡️ Bamboo Outside One Branch Pavilion ➡️ Ji Xu Studio ➡️ Pine Viewing and Painting Pavilion ➡️ Dian Chun Yi ➡️ Cold Spring Pavilion ➡️ Moon and Wind Pavilion ➡️ Dew Flower Pavilion ➡️ Little Mountain Cong Gui Pavilion ➡️ Dao He Pavilion ➡️ Qin Room The Master of the Nets Garden offers a unique night tour, a special event that has been ongoing since the 1990s and has continued for 30 years. The night tour is also a window to quickly understand Suzhou culture, featuring splendid performances of Kunqu opera, Pingtan, Guqin, and folk music. The programs are small but refined, very representative of Suzhou! 🚇Transportation: Exit 4 of Nanyuan North Station on Metro Line 5; Bus 529, Community Bus 9006, Community Bus 9011 to Master of the Nets Garden Station. 🎫Ticket: (Tickets can be booked one day in advance on the platform) Peak Season: April-May, July-October 40 RMB per person Off-Season: January-March, June, November-December 30 RMB per person ⏰Business Hours: Off-Season 7:30-17:30, Peak Season 7:30-17:00 🎫Night Tour Ticket and Business Hours: Mid-March to Mid-November 19:30-22:00, 100 RMB per person 🌟Highlights: Less is more, special night tour The smallest stone arch bridge in Suzhou gardens - Yinjing Bridge 🔹Yinjing Bridge is 2.4 meters long and 1 meter wide, can be crossed in three steps, hence it is also called 'Three-Step Bridge', which is quite different from the tall stone arch bridges in Jiangnan that can be passed through. The only garden replicated abroad The Dian Chun Yi of the Master of the Nets Garden was replicated exactly in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the United States, and has been praised as 'an eternal exhibit in the history of Sino-American cultural exchange'.