The Forest of the Lions Garden by Paul2001
The Forest of the Lions Garden may have been my favourite of the classical gardens that I visited in the Suzhou region. I pondered why after I exited the complex and I have since decided that it was because I really liked the rocks. Yes those rocks were beginning to grow on me. The rocks at the Forest of the Lions Garden are huge and they are filled with little passageways that can be explored. I felt like a little boy again. Personally I just felt that this garden seemed much more interesting in the way of pavilions, rocks and the way everything is gathered around the large pond.The Forest of the Lions Garden was built in 1342 by Buddhist monks. It consists of 21 pavilions in all and comes across as something of a maze. Like all Chinese classical gardens, it is sectioned off into a series of courtyards filled with ponds and rockeries. The rockeries you find here are indeed the largest that you will find in Suzhou. All though there are suppose to be more than one, there is a particular rock that does look something like a lion. It is pictured in one of my photographs here. I had to be very patient in getting an image of the rock without someone climbing all over it.
The Forest of the Lions Garden is open from 7:30am to 5pm. Admission is Y15.
