绿杨宜作两家春拙政园

绿杨宜作两家春拙政园

“明月好同三径夜，绿杨直作两家春。”

拙政园现分为中、西两部。在西部补园，望隔院楼台，隐现花墙之上，欲去无从。登假山巅的宜两亭看，真是美景如画，尽展眼帘，既可俯瞰补园，又可借中部园景，这才领略到亭用“宜两”二字原因所在。

拙政园建于明嘉靖年间，为御史王献臣所建。“拙政”二字是取古书上“拙者之为政”的意思，表示园主不得志于朝，筑园以明志。几经易主，到了清太平天国战争后，这园的西部分割了出去，名为“补园”。两园之景互相邻借，虽分犹合。如今东部新辟的园林则又是将另一园——“归田园居”合并过来的。

园以水为主，利用原来低洼之地巧妙安排：高者为山；低者拓池；利用其狭长水面，弯环曲岸；深处出岛，浅水藏矶，使水面饶弥漫之意。而亭台间出，桥梁浮波，以虚实之倒影与高低之层次构成了以水成景的画面。它是舒展成图，径缘池转，廊引人随，使游者入其园，信步观景，移步移影，此景以动观为主。偶尔暂驻之亭与可留之馆，予人以小休眺景，是以静观为辅也。

拙政园美在空灵，予人开朗之感，开朗中又具曲笔，所谓“园中有园”。故枇杷园、海棠春坞等小园幽静宜人，而于花墙窗棂中招大园之景于内，互呈其美者，苏州诸园以此为第一。故游人入是园，多少会产生闲云野鹤、去来无踪的雅致。春水之腻，夏水之浓，秋水之静，冬水之寒，与四时花木、朝夕光影构成了不同季节、不同时间的风光。

拙政园内有几处景点是绝不可错过的。远香堂是座四面敞开的荷花厅，荷香香远益清，所以称“远香堂”。人至此环身顾盼，一园之景可约略得之。前有山，后有岛，左有亭，右有台，而廊楯周接，木映花承，鸟飞于天，鱼跃于渊，景物之恬适，如饮香醇，此为主景。右转枇杷园，回首远眺，月门中逗入远处雪香云蔚亭，此为对景。经海棠春坞，循栏至梧竹幽居，一亭四出辟拱，人坐其中，四顾皆景矣。渡曲桥，登两岛，俯身临池，如入濠濮。望隔岸远香堂、香洲一带，华堂、船舫，皆出水面，风荷数柄，摇曳碧波之间，涟漪乍绉，洵足醒人。至西北角，缓步随石径登楼，一园之景毕于楼下，以“见山”二字名楼。

通过“别有洞天”的深幽园门进入园的西部，三十六鸳鸯馆居其中，南北二厅分居前后。南向观山景，北向看荷花，鸳鸯戏水，出没芙蕖间。隔岸浮翠阁出小山之上。所谓“浮翠”，是水绿、山碧、天青的意思。其旁濒池留听阁，取唐李商隐“留得残荷听雨声”之意，此处宜秋，故构此景。浮翠阁之东，倒影楼与宜两亭互为对景，而一水盈盈，高下相见，游人至此，一园之胜毕矣。迟迟举步，回首依恋，园尽而兴未阑也。

Green Willows Bring the Spring into Two Gardens —Zhuozheng Garden(https://www.daowen.com)

“The bright moon shines deep into night; green willows bring the spring into two gardens.”

Zhuozheng Garden, as it stands today, falls into two parts: the central part and the western part.Beyond the courtyard in the western part of Buyan Garden, pavilions and towers emerge here and there above the openwork walls.If you climb up Yiliang Pavilion, which is on top of the artificial mountain overlooking the garden, and gaze into the distance, lyrical and picturespue scenes will meet your eye.This tower borrows the scenery from the central part of the garden.It is not until now can one understand why the Tower got its name as Yiliang, meaning “appropriate for both parts”.

Zhuozheng Garden was constructed during the reign of Emperor Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty by Wang Xianchen, an imperial censor, who had quit his position in court and returned to his hometown.The name Zhuozheng meaning “humble administrator”, is taken from classics to express his idea of withdrawal: “Growing trees around the house, living a carefree and contented life, and watering vegetables in the garden for us to eat every day...it is a life that a humble administraor should live.”The ownership of the garden changed several times until after the Taiping Rebellion of the Qing Dynasty when the garden was separated and the western part named Buyuan Garden.The two gardens borrow the scenery from each other so much so that they appear to be one garden though apart.A new garden east of the gardens acts as an expansion, following the acquisition of another garden called Guitianyuanju.

The original low-lying land is designed to be filled with water which plays an important role in this garden.Rockeries are built on the highland to emphasize the height and ponds are dug in the lowlying land to increase the depth.Along the long narrow waterway, curving embankments are built where the water turns; small islets are constructed where the water is deep; and rocks are laid under water where it is shallow, giving an impression of their reflections spreading on the water.Pavilions appearing above the water and bridges seemingly floating on waves form a view of water with layered real and imaginary reflections.As this illusory view unfolds, visitors are led along a winding path past a pond and through covered walkways.While strolling in the garden, visitors may see different views at every step they take.Most of the views may be better appreciated in an in-motion manner when visitors linger around without a stop.But occasionally, they may pause and take relaxations in a pavilion to enjoy the scenery afar in an in-position manner when sitting still.

The breathtaking beauty of Zhuozheng Garden lies in its ethereal quality that conveys a sense of openness; but quietly embedded in that openness is a labyrinth of scenic features, hence the so-called “garden inside garden”.In small, tranquil gardens such as Pipa Garden and Haitangchunwu, the scenery of the larger garden is invited in through the lattices of the openwork walls.As a result, the borrowed scenery adds to the beauty of both the small garden and the large one.Among all the gardens in Suzhou, borrowing the scenery is best demonstrated here.A visitor who lingers along in this garden may be caught by a fantasy of being in the leisurely and carefree state of a cloud floating aimlessly in the sky or a wild crane wandering merrily by the water.One is impressed by the panorama of the four seasons when the water becomes colorful in the spring, steamy in the summer, tranquil in the autumn and chilly in the winter and the trees and flowers are bathed in the morning shades and the evening shadows.

There are several scenes in Zhuozheng Garden that a visitor cannot afford to miss.Yuanxiang Hall is an open-sided hall surrounded by lotus flowers.Yuanxiang means “fragrance reaching far into the distance”because of the sweet fragrance of the lotus flowers.From Yuanxiang Hall one can catch glimpses of a variety of scenes in the garden: a rockery in the front, an islet in the back, a pavilion on the left and a gazebo on the right.Here trees cast their shadows on the flowers, birds fly in an azure sky and fish jump in the pool.The peacefulness of this scene is as enjoyable to the senses as taking a sip of an aromatic wine.If one turns right and enters Pipa Garden, he can catch sight of Xuexiangyunwei Pavilion in the distance by looking back through an arched door.The pavilion in the arched door creates what is known as a Paired Scene.Go across Haitangchunwu and enter Wuzhuyouju where a pavilion is erected with arched doors on its four sides.When one pauses for a rest in the pavilion, he will find him self surrounded by beautifull scenery.Follow a zigzag brideg and you will step onto two connecting islets where when you lean over to look down into the pool, you fall into a dreamy, pleasurable state.In the distance across the pool, the magnificent Yuanxiang Hall and the boat-like Xiangzhou appear above the water with lotus leaves dancing in the wind above the gentle rippling wavelets, all which forms a truly inspiring scene.A leisurely walk along a footpath from the northwest corner of the Residence leads to a tower from which you can get a panoramic view of the garden.Because of this unique vantage point, the tower is named Jianshan, which means to have hills in sight.

The secluded gate of Bieyoudongtian leads into the western part of Zhuozheng Garden.In the center of this part lies Sanshiliu Yuanyang Hall; its south hall in the front faces a small mountain and its north hall in the back greets lotus flowers, a favorite habitat for colorful mandarin ducks.Above a small hill on the shore opposite the pavilion is Fucui Belvedere; Fucui indicates the clear water, green hills and blue sky.Next to this pavilion by the pool stands Liuting Belvedere which means keeping something to hear the sound.The name Liuting was taken from a poem by Li Shangyin, a famous poet of the Tang Dynasty.In the poem he says that the withered lotuses are kept for the poet to listen to the rain as it falls.The scenery is designed especially for autumn the best season to fully present it.To the east of Fucui Belvedere, Daoying Tower and Yiliang Pavilion form a paired scene with a body of water in between and with one standing high above the other.

It is here that the tour of Zhuozheng Garden comes to its end; and it is here that the visitor will have viewed all the scenery whose vibrant beauty renders the tour truly unforgettable and makes him reluctant to say good bye to the garden.