Suzhou: Venice of the East, Paradise on Earth, Mellifluous Women in a Plastic Balloon next to a Giant Tea Pot

There is an ancient Chinese proverb that says " in heaven there is paradise, on earh Suzhou and Hangzhou." Suzhou is about two hours away from Shanghai and is famous for its gardens, canals, waterways and “mellifluous women.” Chinese men actually believe that women from Suzhou are more beautiful than women from any other part of China ! Marco Polo passed through in 1276 and by the 14th century it was the leading producer of silk in China. We spend the day visiting several gardens.

The gardens are built on Daoist principles of harmony and balance and borrow from the evolving artistic sensibilities of the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. All gardens consist of four basic elements: rocks, water, bridges and trees. We learn that these gardens were designed by painters and not architects! There is definitely an other-worldliness to these metaphysical spaces – a fusion of nature, poetry and philosophy.

We visit the Garden of the Master of the Nets (Wangshi Yaun) where I think about the role of gardens in society. I think about a gross garden index and a google maps mashup where one can see and rank cities based on the number of gardens it has. While it is an unfair association, my own city (Bangalore) which used to be referred to as the “garden city” pales in comparison to the artistic sophistication of the gardens in Suzhou. I even wonder if these gardens rival The Hanging Gardens of Babylon or Japanese Zen gardens.

We climb the top of a 10 th century pagoda and then visit the Humble Administrators Garden. As I walk in, I am struck not by the geometric perfection of these tranquil spaces but by a giant tea pot spurting and burbling water into a pond where a mother and a baby are frolicking in a plastic bubble! I feel I am a character out of a Lewis Carol novel and that a Jubjub bird will emerge from the tea pot with a vorpal sword and a Tumtum tree!

What a frabjous day!