(Inside the Garden of Harmonious Interest)

    Setting a garden within a larger garden has been one of China traditional architectural styles. The Garden of Harmonious Interest serves as a fine example of this.

    This Garden was built under the order of Emperor Qianlong and modeled after the Jichang Garden (Garden of Ease of Mind )at the foot of Mount Huishan, Jiansu Province. IT was renamed by his son Emperor Jiaqing in 1811. The existing Garden was rebuilt by Emperor or Guangxu. Empress Dowager Cixi used to go fishing here. The Garden features 10 waterfront platforms, pavilions and halls as well as hundreds of galleries

    With all of its structures facing the lake and pools, the Garden of Harmonious Interest is basically a garden of waterscape. Spanning the vast expanse of the lake and pools are five bridges, each quite different from the others. The most famous of them is the bridge known as “Knowing –the Fishing-bridge.” IT is said that more than 2,500 years ago during the Warring States Period, two philosophere named Zhuang Zi had an interesting argument by the side of a pond.

    Zhang said, ”Fish swim to and fro in the water. What happy fish!”

    Hui asked , ”You are not a fish. How do you know they are happy? ”

    Zhuang replied, “You are not me .How do you know I don’t know? ”

    Hui signed, “I am not you ,therefore, I don’t know you . And you are not a fish ,so how
    do you know that fish are happy? ”

    Zhang said, “you ask me how I know fish are happy, why do you keeping me the same question?”

    Although The Garden of Harmonious Interest was designed after Jichang Garden, it not only absorbed the original designs, but exceeded it .

(Outside the south entrance to Suzhou Shopping Street)

    Now lets have a look at longevity Hill. On the back slope of the Hill stands a group of architectures. The centerpiece of structures there are known as the Four Continents and are dedicated to Buddhism. This group was laid out and arranged in accordance with Buddhist cosmology. Aside from a main shrine and structures embodying the Four Continents, there are eight towers representing Minor Continents. The shrine is surrounded by four Lamaist pagodas and between the major and minor continents, there two platforms representing the sun and the moon.

    The Qing authority attached great importance to Buddhism. To further strengthen ties with the ethnic minorities who practiced Buddhism, the monarchs incorporated both Han and Tibetan styles of architecture into this group of temples.

    Further north at the foot of the Four Major Continent lies the Suzhou Shopping Street. Built along the Back Lake of the Summer Palace, this street stretches about 300 meters and features more than 60 stores. It includes restaurants, teahouses, pawnshops banks, drugstores dye houses and publishing houses. In order to recreate the atmosphere of ancient times, visitors will have the chance to exchange their money to ancient style Chinese coins for use here. Storefronts are trimmed with traditional signboards and ornaments. The commercial culture of the mid-18th century has thus been recreated.

(Atop the stone bridge inside the Suzhou Shopping Street)

    visitors may be surprise to see that this shopping street is almost the same as that in South China. As a matter of fact, this street was designed after the shops along the canals in Suhzhou. Originally known as Emperor` s Shopping Street, it was built during the reign of Emperor Qianlong. After making several inspection tours to South China and being duly impressed by its commercial prosperity, Emperor Qianlong ordered the construction of this street.

    The imperial shopping street was burnt down by Anglo-French allied forces in 1860. The site remained desolated until 1987, when reconstruction began. It was opened to the public in September 1990.

    With commercial culture as its hallmark, the Suzhou Shopping Street is a vivid representation of China` s traditional cultures.

    (On the road from the south fate of the suzhou shopping street to the marble boat)

    This is the hall of Pines. From it to the west we can walk to the Marble Boat. The path we aree taking stretches between Longevity Hill and Back Lake. Monarchs and their cohorts used to stroll along it .Hence it was named Central Imperial Path. Along this path you will see lilacs all around. Hence, this road is also known as the Path of Lilac.