The Lingering Garden
The Lingering Garden
4.5
Historic Sites • Points of Interest & Landmarks • Gardens
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7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
About
A Brief Description of the Lingering Garden Located at the outer side of the Chang Gate and built in the 21st year of the reign of Wanli under the Ming Dynasty (AD 1593), the Lingering Garden is reputed to be one of the four most famous gardens of China. In 1961 it was listed from the very first as cultural relics of national importance. Since 1997 it has been inscribed on the World Cultural Heritage List. The Lingering Garden, covering 23,310 sq.m., is divided into the middle, eastern, western and northern parts. The middle part features fascinating landscapes and waterscapes. The eastern part is noted for its architectural beauties and limestone rockeries. The northern part is famed for its beautiful bonsai garden. And the western part boasts the mountain forest scenery and the delights of wilderness. Celebrated for its superb handling of architectural space and spatial relations, the Lingering Garden serves as a fine specimen of ancient Chinese garden and landscape design and reputably tops all the well-known gardens in Suzhou. The Lingering Garden provides English tour guide for free every hour since 2017. You can also choose to pay for a professional English guide with different guiding route or a guiding machine. Hope that during your short stay here, you can not only satisfy your eyes, but also experience the real Chinese culture and have a better understanding of our philosophy.
Suggested duration
1-2 hours
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- Isaac LIndiana76 contributionsThe best of Suzhou’s gardensI visited almost ten classical Chinese gardens on my trip to China, including five in Suzhou, but if you go to see only one, make it the Lingering Garden. Amazing design that achieves what some of the others only aspire to, and enough variety and depth to keep you looking forward to what’s around the next corner. The Lingering Garden is a walkable distance from Shilu metro stop which is Red line (line 2). However, until the very ambitious construction/repair on the road in front is finished, you’ll have a tough time approaching as a pedestrian, and even a driver/taxi may deposit you somewhere nearby and give you vague instructions to walk—they wouldn’t be lying, it’s genuinely hard to access at the moment.Visited January 2020Traveled soloWritten January 11, 2020
- Martin ASuzhou, China2,962 contributionsAnother Great Suzhou GardenThis region of China has a huge number of big, beautiful gardens with lots of water. A Zen garden in Japan is simple but a Zen garden in China is the opposite: complex, sophisticated, filled with flowers, trees, ponds with golden fish, and decorated with little pagodas. The Lingering Garden is one of the best in Suzhou and that's saying something because that city has a lot of great gardens.Visited April 2023Written April 8, 2023
- Jenny JPerth, Australia864 contributionsDo this as part of a day visiting the Tongi TownA personally wouldn't travel this far from Shanghai just to see the garden but combined with a visit to the Tongli water town we are glad we visited. Lots of nice photo opportunities, though it can get crowded.Visited October 2019Written January 14, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
841 reviews
Excellent
432
Very good
299
Average
90
Poor
14
Terrible
6
Maxim B
Ottawa, Canada905 contributions
Oct 2020 • Family
The situation here is even worse than at the Humble Administrator's Garden. There seems to be no limit for the daily number of tickets, and although there is no line ups to get in there is a steady flow of people. This garden is much smaller than the Humble Administrator's and is much more packed. There is no chance at any feeling of serenity in there.
Again, the garden itself is beautifully done and I hope that our ticket fee contributed to the preservation of thisbimportant historical site.
Again, the garden itself is beautifully done and I hope that our ticket fee contributed to the preservation of thisbimportant historical site.
Written October 5, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SZPlum
Shenzhen, China78 contributions
Mar 2020 • Solo
Just like half of Suzhou, no matter if resident or tourist that has just arrived, no foreigners can enter, only Chinese nationals. No explanation offered other than you need an appointment. When you try to make an appointment they tell you foreigners cannot make appointment.
Virus causing people left and right to loose what little sense they may have had.
Virus causing people left and right to loose what little sense they may have had.
Written March 7, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Viator
Berkeley, CA7 contributions
Jan 2023 • Solo
Like an increasing number of attractions in China, Lingering Gardens has closed its ticket office and has moved to an exclusive ticketing system through WeChat. You scan the QR code for the app when you arrive but they are likely already sold out for the day as Chinese travelers know how to navigate the Chinese app environment in advance to get their reservations early and you as a foreigner probably do not. No concession for me being a foreigner, no apology, just laughed at and told “no.” Exact same experience at the Suzhou Museum where I was told no tickets were available for the next week. It took considerable expense and time to get Suzhou and pay for hotels and taxi around just to arrive at the entrance to its sights and be barred from entering. Increasingly, Suzhou’s tourists sights are not foreigner friendly. Maybe take it off your list.
Written January 27, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BigSeaWave
Suzhou, China5 contributions
Dec 2015 • Friends
Having lived in Suzhou for nearly 9 years and visited every Suzhou Gardens for at least 3 times, I have to say that Lingering Garden, or Liu Yuan, is my favorite. It is one of the two gardens that I had been to in all four seasons of the year and appreciate the different beauty during each season. The only garden I went to after the snow of 2008 was Lingering Garden and I was not disappointed with the view of a snow covered garden that had its unique beauty. When I was there, the white snow covering everything and some part of the garden was not accessible due to the heavy snow. But, there was a tranquil quietness with so few visitors and plenty of place to walk with the covered corridors.
The reason for my love of Lingering Garden was mainly due to the fact that each part of the garden had her unique theme and her unique beauty. Once one enters the main entrance, you will be led to the main garden where it has the typical "mountain", "lake", pavilions, covered corridors, rocks and the main buildings. Some days, there will be musicians playing traditional Suzhou "ping tan", a pair of singers with instruments singing out a story in Suzhou dialect; in one of the pavilions. Or, there will be a lady playing the pipa in one of the boat sailing in the "lake" with someone rowing the boat. It is the kind of things that a Chinese scholar will enjoy and one could really feel how the original owner enjoyed the garden. The singers are treats and should not be expected on a regular basis. However, I seemed to have the most frequent encounters of singers in Lingering Garden than all the other Suzhou gardens.
During the fall, just about this time of the year (late September to late October), there is a spot on the left side of the lake where the owner planted the Osmanthus trees. The pavilion is named for the enjoying of the fragrance of Osmanthus. When the Osmanthus is blooming at this time of the year, one gets to enjoy not just the sight but also the sweet fragrance of the Osmanthus flowers. (BTW Osmanthus is the city flower of Suzhou.) I could literally sitting or lingering there for hours to enjoy this multi-sensory delight.
From the main garden, one could exit to the part of the garden famous for her tall Taihu rock that was named "Crowned with the Cloud Peak" (Guan Yun Feng). It is a unique slender and beautiful Taihu rock featuring all 4 characters of a good Taihu rock: slender 瘦, leaky 漏 (i.e. water is capable of flowing through), wrinkled 皱, and "through" 透 (i.e. visible holes that one could see through to the other side of the rock.) Besides the rock, the garden around the rock was usually adorned with beautiful flowers. So, one could linger there and enjoy the rock or the flower or both! There are also a few other "lesser" Taihu rocks in this garden.
From what I called the rock garden, one could go through the round gate on one side and find yourself in a flower garden that is the most beautiful during late spring and early summer when many of the flowers are blooming. If you love flowers, you could lingering there for quite some time.
Or, if you follow the long corridor around the "bamboo forest" to the other side of the rock garden, you will find yourself in a Bonzai garden. If you like rocks and Bonzai, you could lingering there for hours. There is also a corridor that is shaded with grape vines and other climbing plants which gives excellent shade during the hot summer days but don't count on it to cover if it rains.
At the other end of the Bonzai garden, there was a narrow passage way between a rock and a wall that seemed to lead to no where. However, if you walk through it, you will find yourself entering another garden with again, "mountain" and pavilion, and many different kinds of trees. The rock that you just passed was the "mountain" of this part of the garden. Instead of a lake, you will find yourself along a man-made "river". Obviously, this "river" may look nothing like the Hudson, Mississippi, or Yangtze river but if you allow your imagination flow and pace along this stream, you do feel the sense of tranquility of walking along a quiet little stream.
From this "tree and river" garden, you could find you way to exit or you could back track to all the other parts of the garden to exit. They both take you to the same exit to the street but you would miss the souvenir store if you exit here.
The different theme in each "sub"-garden is why Liu Yuan or Lingering Garden is my favorite Suzhou garden. Now that I no longer have Suzhou garden pass and have to pay full price for a visit of any garden, this is always my first choice when I am visiting Suzhou and in the mood to see a garden.
Lingering Garden is also within walking distance from Shan Tang Street, albeit a good 20-30 minutes walk crossing a small maze of streets. But with a GPS in the mobile phone, it was not as challenging as it sounds. I have done a one-day tour of walking the Shan Tang in the morning, having lunch in the Shan Tang area and spent the afternoon in Lingering Garden before returning. It was my favorite one-day tour of Suzhou and what I do with friends who only have one day to spend in Suzhou and wants to experience old Suzhou life and Suzhou garden.
The reason for my love of Lingering Garden was mainly due to the fact that each part of the garden had her unique theme and her unique beauty. Once one enters the main entrance, you will be led to the main garden where it has the typical "mountain", "lake", pavilions, covered corridors, rocks and the main buildings. Some days, there will be musicians playing traditional Suzhou "ping tan", a pair of singers with instruments singing out a story in Suzhou dialect; in one of the pavilions. Or, there will be a lady playing the pipa in one of the boat sailing in the "lake" with someone rowing the boat. It is the kind of things that a Chinese scholar will enjoy and one could really feel how the original owner enjoyed the garden. The singers are treats and should not be expected on a regular basis. However, I seemed to have the most frequent encounters of singers in Lingering Garden than all the other Suzhou gardens.
During the fall, just about this time of the year (late September to late October), there is a spot on the left side of the lake where the owner planted the Osmanthus trees. The pavilion is named for the enjoying of the fragrance of Osmanthus. When the Osmanthus is blooming at this time of the year, one gets to enjoy not just the sight but also the sweet fragrance of the Osmanthus flowers. (BTW Osmanthus is the city flower of Suzhou.) I could literally sitting or lingering there for hours to enjoy this multi-sensory delight.
From the main garden, one could exit to the part of the garden famous for her tall Taihu rock that was named "Crowned with the Cloud Peak" (Guan Yun Feng). It is a unique slender and beautiful Taihu rock featuring all 4 characters of a good Taihu rock: slender 瘦, leaky 漏 (i.e. water is capable of flowing through), wrinkled 皱, and "through" 透 (i.e. visible holes that one could see through to the other side of the rock.) Besides the rock, the garden around the rock was usually adorned with beautiful flowers. So, one could linger there and enjoy the rock or the flower or both! There are also a few other "lesser" Taihu rocks in this garden.
From what I called the rock garden, one could go through the round gate on one side and find yourself in a flower garden that is the most beautiful during late spring and early summer when many of the flowers are blooming. If you love flowers, you could lingering there for quite some time.
Or, if you follow the long corridor around the "bamboo forest" to the other side of the rock garden, you will find yourself in a Bonzai garden. If you like rocks and Bonzai, you could lingering there for hours. There is also a corridor that is shaded with grape vines and other climbing plants which gives excellent shade during the hot summer days but don't count on it to cover if it rains.
At the other end of the Bonzai garden, there was a narrow passage way between a rock and a wall that seemed to lead to no where. However, if you walk through it, you will find yourself entering another garden with again, "mountain" and pavilion, and many different kinds of trees. The rock that you just passed was the "mountain" of this part of the garden. Instead of a lake, you will find yourself along a man-made "river". Obviously, this "river" may look nothing like the Hudson, Mississippi, or Yangtze river but if you allow your imagination flow and pace along this stream, you do feel the sense of tranquility of walking along a quiet little stream.
From this "tree and river" garden, you could find you way to exit or you could back track to all the other parts of the garden to exit. They both take you to the same exit to the street but you would miss the souvenir store if you exit here.
The different theme in each "sub"-garden is why Liu Yuan or Lingering Garden is my favorite Suzhou garden. Now that I no longer have Suzhou garden pass and have to pay full price for a visit of any garden, this is always my first choice when I am visiting Suzhou and in the mood to see a garden.
Lingering Garden is also within walking distance from Shan Tang Street, albeit a good 20-30 minutes walk crossing a small maze of streets. But with a GPS in the mobile phone, it was not as challenging as it sounds. I have done a one-day tour of walking the Shan Tang in the morning, having lunch in the Shan Tang area and spent the afternoon in Lingering Garden before returning. It was my favorite one-day tour of Suzhou and what I do with friends who only have one day to spend in Suzhou and wants to experience old Suzhou life and Suzhou garden.
Written October 14, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Natesan P
Pudukkottai, India31 contributions
Jun 2012 • Solo
Beautiful scenes. Some big rocks are really amazing. Stiil if you have been to Yu Rock Garden in Shanghai, then this will not be any more interesting. The music instrument play by the beautiful girls is truly soul soothing. Spend some time listening to the music.
Taxis are a bit difficult to get in front of this garden. So, better have some alternate arrangement
Taxis are a bit difficult to get in front of this garden. So, better have some alternate arrangement
Written June 24, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Robert K
Gold Coast, Australia257 contributions
Nov 2019 • Friends
Wow from a very humble entrance to the most beautiful amazing gardens was just totally beautiful
I do throughly recommend seeing the Lingering Gardens
I do throughly recommend seeing the Lingering Gardens
Written February 18, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tiny Traveler
New York City, NY40 contributions
Dec 2019
A really lovely hour-long visit if you're in Suzhou. A bit crowded, but still a very serene garden to spend a late morning in. There are bonsai gardens, wandering paths, a thousand year old volcanic rock, and gorgeous architecture.
Written December 14, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Paul K
Lynn, MA248 contributions
Nov 2019
Peaceful and serene best describe this garden. It was a timeless view of old imperial China. My friends and I just wandered around enjoying the traditional Chinese garden. Definitely worth an hour or two away from the millions of people in China.
Written November 25, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BruceR-Traveller
sydney australia30 contributions
Oct 2019
A salve for the soul away from the throng of people. This garden is a delight and lifts your spirits. The variety and layout of garden species means the garden has a variety of zones. Beautiful design and visit well worth the effort.
Written November 8, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
cmatthewschulz
Palo Alto, CA141 contributions
Oct 2019 • Friends
Beautiful. Rockery, ponds, plants and buildings are all beautiful and well maintained. Get a guide to really learn more.
Written October 28, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
GlobeTrotting757547
3 contributions
Does any small restaurants, street food vendors, for quick lunches, shops nearby the lingering garden ?
narla20
Forster, Australia101 contributions
Yes, there seemed to be food establishments very close by, although we were on a tour so didn’t use them.
Frances
Devonport, Australia24 contributions
Does the Metro go close to the Lingering Garden?
Karen W
Brisbane Region, Australia2,201 contributions
Take Rail Transit Line 2 and get off at Shilu Station. Go out via Exit 1 and walk northward on South Guangji Road for about 50 yards (46 meters). Turn west and walk along Liuyuan Road for about 300 yards (274 meters).
Not allowed to send 'links' but check out - travel china guide / attractions / jiangsu / suzhou / lingering (join it up !!) has all transit links
Sorry hope this help
Have a grt trip and enjoy !!
Hi i have time for only one garden visit. what do you recommend between Humble administrator and Lingering Garden?
Lisa G
Andover, MA141 contributions
My daughter lived in Suzhou for six months and got to see both. She visited the Humble Administrator's garden with a friend and Lingering garden with me. She preferred the Lingering garden, though she liked them both very much. Humble Administrator's garden was in her words "obscenely busy" and though Lingering was also busy it is not as open (you are funneled through it) so you can see each area and view better. Perhaps look at the surrounding area for restaurants and other activities and make your decision that way.
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Claim your listingThe Lingering Garden - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)
Frequently Asked Questions about The Lingering Garden
- The Lingering Garden is open:
- Sun - Sat 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
- We recommend booking The Lingering Garden tours ahead of time to secure your spot. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. See all 41 The Lingering Garden tours on Tripadvisor
- According to Tripadvisor travelers, these are the best ways to experience The Lingering Garden:
- Shanghai to Suzhou and Zhouzhuang Self-Guide Trip with Private Transfer (From $170.67)
- Unveil Suzhou's Essence: Ultimate Private Day Tour (From $155.00)
- Ultimate 6 Single Days Explorer Package: Shanghai,Hangzhou,Suzhou and Huangshan (From $1,621.34)
- Six-day package tour of Shanghai, Tongli, Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Mount Huangshan (From $5,857.14)
- Suzhou Private Tour: Suzhou Silk Museum, Lingering Garden Tiger Hill and More (From $160.22)
- Hotels near The Lingering Garden:
- (0.17 mi) Garden Hotel
- (0.15 mi) Youyou Holiday Hotel
- (0.15 mi) Huangpu Hotel
- (0.20 mi) Yuanzhonglou Business Hotel
- (0.27 mi) Glamor Hotel
- Restaurants near The Lingering Garden:
- (0.17 mi) XiaoXiao DeYueLou
- (0.26 mi) Guan YunLou
- (0.39 mi) SuZhou JiaoTong JiXiao Restaurant
- (0.62 mi) Haidilao Hot Pot (GuangJi South Road)
- (0.56 mi) SongHeLou CaiGuan (ShanTangJie)
The Lingering Garden Information
Excellent Reviews | 432 |
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Very Good Reviews | 299 |
The Lingering Garden Photos | 1,425 |