LionGroveGarden狮子林LionGroveGardenislocatedinthenortheastofSuzhou,whichisacitywithprofoundculturalbackgroundandconvenientdevelopmentaladvantages.LionGroveGardenisoneofthefourmostfamousrepresentativegardensofancientclassicalstyleinSuzhoucity.Builtin1342duringtheYuanDynasty(1279-1368)bymonkTianruandagroupofZenBuddhistdisciplesasamemorialoftheirmaster-monkZhongFeng,LionGroveGardenhaschangedhandsandrenamedthenumberoftimes.Alsotherearemanyrocksgrotesqueinshapesinthegardenresemblinglions.LionGroveGardenhasbeenapopularcenterofliterati’sandBuddhismactivities.Manypaintingsandpoemswereinspiredbythegardenatthistime.TheLionGroveGardenisperhapsthemostdistinctiveofallofSuzhou’sgardens,andprobablythemostfuntovisit.Thehighlightofthegardenisitshuge,strangelabyrinthinerocks,whichwasmostlymadeofthelimestonefromTaihuLakeinWuxicity.Reputedasthe“kingdomofrockery”,therockswerepiledupskillfullyandingeniouslyandmostofthemlooklikelionsindifferentposturesandverves:playing,lying,fighting,sleeping,orevendancing.ThecoreoftheLionGroveGardenisapathsurroundedwithitsentirelandscapeconstructiveentirelyoftheseexoticshapedrocks.Lowerhillsandcarefullyarrangedtheamountsofrocks,layingthreesidesofthesmallpond.Therearealltogether9pathsand21cavernscrossamongthesteeppeaks,sharpcragsandnarrowvalleysmadeupbycountlessgrotesquerocks.Walkingthroughthosenumerouswidepathwaysandcavernsoftheanfractuousstoneforest,onecouldeasilyloseone’sway.Withallkindsofcypresstrees,thewholelandscaperepresentsscenesofrealmountainsandforests.
