Located at the middle section of Renmin Road, Yi Garden was once the private garden of Gu Wenbin, a wealthy man in the years of Emperor Guangxu's reign of the Qing Dynasty.
Its eastern half was originally the former house of Wu Kuan, a minister in the Ming Dynasty, while the western half was constructed by Gu's family. It was built not as early as other classical gardens of Suzhou, so it absorbed their advantages. Featured by a collection of selected strong points, it consists of the eastern and western halves. The former is characterized by courtyard and the latter focuses on mountain and waters. They set off each other and form a pleasing contrast. |