Considering the Scholars Hotel (Suzhou Jingde) in Suzhou?
A VT member wrote the following comment about visiting Suzhou:
Lion Grove Garden by cheezecake_deli
Dating from the 14th century, the Lion Grove Garden's (Shizi Lin) dominating feature is rocks - lots of ornamental rocks fished out of nearby Lake Tai. Some of these resemble lions in various poses, hence the name of the garden. The casual visitor may find this garden rather bleak, but ornamental rocks are an important part of the traditional Chinese garden, usually used to symbolise sacred mountains. There is also a bit of history to this garden - it was visited by the Qing emperor Qianlong, who, having enjoyed a wander through its rockery maze, composed calligraphy in praise of the garden (the true story is a bit more complicated, involving editing of the calligraphy by the garden's owner to save Qianlong's "face" - ask a local to tell you!).
