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Earthly Paradise, the classical gardens of Suzhou.

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Located along the lower basin of the Yangtze River,

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the city of Suzhou has a history spanning over 2,500 years.

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It is criss-crossed by numerous waterways

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and the streets retain their traditional beauty.

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Marco Polo called Suzhou the Venice of the Orient

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when he came here in the 13th century.

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The many gardens were created by retired bureaucrats

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and politicians of the Ming and Qing dynasties.

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One of China's four most famous gardens,

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the Humble Administrator's Garden,

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is within the walls of the old town.

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The design is based on the legend of Xi Wai Tao Yuan, or Utopia.

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One day, a fisherman lost his way and came across a large piece of rock.

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The rock was an entrance to a small cave that a person could barely enter.

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As he reached the other end,

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an entirely different world of beautiful lakes and greenery appeared before his eyes.

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It was a world away from the world of officialdom.

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It was Utopia.

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The garden incorporates various ideas.

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This includes the architectural technique known as Zhe Jin,

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or the borrowed view from afar,

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which is designed to make best use of limited space

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by focusing on distant landmarks.

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This is the Lu Jing technique,

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in which people can see the garden through a window cut out in the shape of a flower.

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A picture hanging on the wall of the summer house?

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No, in fact, this is designed to enjoy the beauty of the four seasons through the window,

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as if they were paintings.

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The mountain villa with embracing beauty was built in the 18th century,

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during the Qing Dynasty.

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It is built with rocks taken from the bed of a lake

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and resembles rocky mountain peaks.

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The rocks were bound together with sticky rice paste and iron straps.

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The monument was created by Zhu Zhuliang, a master at the art.

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Combining rocks of different sizes and shapes

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and creating a balanced single piece, he said,

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it could endure any shock and could last for a thousand years.

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The garden was a utopia where Chinese intellectuals sought peace of mind.

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It is characterized by an aesthetic aspiration

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for a perfect harmony of man-made beauty and nature.