China Trip: Day 6 – Yuan Tou Zhu Gardens

On Day 6, we woke up in the city of Wuxi, ready for another day of adventure.

Wuxi has been called the “pearl of Lake Taihu”. The beauty of Lake Taihu (the 3rd largest lake in China) has been immortalized by poets & painters for centuries. The best place to view its natural wonder is from the gardens of the Yuan Tou Zhu peninsula. “Yuan Tou Zhu” literally means “the Head of the Dragon-Turtle,” inspired the way the peninsula dramatically juts out into the lake. The symbolic figure of the dragon turtle (pictured below) sits in the middle of the gardens surrounded by an iron gate. If you toss a coin on his back & it stays, it is considered quite good luck. I gave it my best shot…but had no luck.

Although it has been a well known scenic spot for centuries, the area was first made into a garden in the late 19th century, and the narrow bridges and pavilions seen today date from this period.

(Click on “more” for another 13 pictures & additional journaling)

The pavilions, bridges, and small ponds of the lakeside gardens are designed to accentuate the beauty of the natural landscape, not create an artificial landscape as many traditional Chinese gardens try to do.

While this takes advantage of such an exceptional setting, it is also the result of a difference in culture and attitude. Many other classical gardens were created by officials as a retreat from the outside world, with its stresses and politics. Their walled gardens were an attempt to create alternate natural environment as an escape from the outside world. In contrast, Yuan Tou Zhu was laid out by successful merchants and businessmen with a more optimistic and confident outlook. They came to the shores of Tai Hu Lake for pleasure and relaxation, and to entertain friends, not to escape the demands of the outside world, and the design of the gardens reflects this different motivation.

The most beautiful part of Yuan Tou Zhu is at the tip of the peninsula. Rocky cliffs carved with ancient calligraphy loom near small ponds teeming with lotus flowers. The scenery reminded me of something I’ve seen painted on an ancient scroll. (image removed)

The lake seems to stretch interminably out into the distance, with the other shore far out of sight. We caught glimpses of fishing boats through the misty air.

This larger ship was docked in an inlet. The green water looks beautiful from afar, but is quite polluted with algae up close. Fortunately, this just impacts a small section of the lake.

Although we missed the cherry blossoms, we were able to see a number of other beautiful flowers in full bloom.

Here are more lotus flowers (and yes, I used one of these pics for my new blog header!)

I have no idea what type of flower this is, but I was intriqued by the long pointed ends at the back & the gorgeous red color.

As well as these unusual daisies:

The snapdragons were everywhere!

And there were huge patches of tiny yellow flowers. This is what they looked like up close:

And finally, these beautiful flowers were near the exit to the gardens…

After finishing our tour, we went back to the bus and headed towards our next stop – a fresh-water pearl farm!