The Humble Administrator’s Garden is a renowned classical garden in Suzhou, centered around water with exquisite rockeries and delicate courtyard architecture, surrounded by lush flora. This quintessential Jiangnan garden is celebrated alongside the Summer Palace in Beijing, the Mountain Resort in Chengde, and the Lingering Garden in Suzhou as the ‘Four Great Gardens of China’ and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The garden’s design is meticulously crafted, offering a new view at every step, embodying the charm of the Jiangnan water towns. The garden paths wind through various doorways, stone walls with hollow patterns, pavilions, and windows, each uniquely paired with the surrounding vegetation to create picturesque scenes, ideal for photography. The garden is divided into three distinct sections: East, Central, and West, each with its own characteristics. The Central Garden maintains the simple and natural style of the Ming Dynasty gardens and is considered the essence of the entire site, worth exploring in detail. The East Garden is more spacious, while the West Garden boasts exquisite architecture. At the southern end of the Humble Administrator’s Garden, there is the Suzhou Garden Museum, a specialized museum on gardens in China. Key scenic spots in the garden include the Orchid Snow Hall, Hanqing Pavilion, Yuanxiang Hall, Xiangzhou, the Thirty-six Mandarin Duck Pavilion, and the Bonsai Garden. Two notable features are the ‘Borrowed Scenery of Beisi Pagoda’, where visitors can see the Beisi Pagoda from the East Garden as if it were within the garden itself, a common subject for photos, and the ‘Corridor Bridge Xiaofeihong’ in the Central Garden, with its vermillion bridge railings reflecting in the water like a flying rainbow, creating a beautiful focal point of the landscape. The garden is suitable for visits in spring, summer, and autumn, with azalea exhibitions from mid-March to early May, lotus exhibitions from early June to mid-October, and chrysanthemum exhibitions from early September to mid-October, as well as a fruit and bonsai exhibition during the Spring Festival. In winter, fewer visitors allow for a peaceful appreciation of the garden’s beauty. Opening hours are from March 1st to October 31st from 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM; from November 1st to February 28th from 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM. Night tours are available on Tuesdays to Sundays from 6:30 PM to 10:00 PM, with a clearance between day and night tours. Night tour experiences are based on project purchase entry times.Concessions for children: Free for children aged 6 and under or with a height of 1.4 meters and under with valid identification; half price for minors aged 6 to 18 with valid identification. Concessions for seniors: Free for seniors aged 70 and over with valid identification; half price for those aged 60 to 70 with valid identification. Concessions for students: Half price for full-time undergraduate and below students with valid identification.
Concessions for active military personnel: Free for active military personnel of the People’s Republic of China with military ID and retired military personnel with retirement ID. Concessions for disabled persons: Free for disabled persons and one accompanying caregiver for severely disabled individuals with valid identification. Card users: Suzhou Tong • Turn Turn Card users can enter the garden for free after making a reservation on Ctrip APP with valid identification. Concessions for preferential targets: Free for those with the ‘People’s Republic of China Veterans’ Preference Certificate’ and ‘People’s Republic of China Martyrs, Military Personnel Who Died in the Line of Duty, and Deceased Military Personnel’s Dependents’ Preference Certificate’ (excluding garden within the garden, in-park charges, and night tour projects). Concessions for Suzhou medical staff: Free access to scenic spots for Suzhou medical staff within seven days starting from International Nurses Day on May 12th and Chinese Physician’s Day on August 19th (May 12th to 18th, August 19th to 25th).
For medical personnel in Suzhou City, when visiting the scenic area, please show “personal ID card” + “Suzhou medical personnel free park card (electronic card)”, and they can enter the park directly without reservation and be exempted from the first entrance ticket fee.
Free service facilities
Parking lot: [South parking lot of The Humble Administrator’s Garden] Reference price: 12 yuan/hour; Address: Opposite The Humble Administrator’s Garden on South Dongbei Street, south entrance of The Humble Administrator’s Garden; Number of spaces: 135; Small vehicles are 6 yuan/hour, and large vehicles are 12 yuan/hour. The above information is for reference only.
Please handle items outside the storage scope by yourself and seek surrounding storage services. The scenic area does not make specific recommendations and kindly asks for understanding. Disclaimer: 1. We bear no responsibility for the damage or loss of stored items due to force majeure, the natural properties of the items, inherent defects, reasonable wear and tear, or the fault of the depositor.
2. Both parties must jointly confirm the number, condition, and intactness of the outer packaging of large luggage. Items shall not be added to or removed from the luggage during the storage period. If items are lost or reduced inside the luggage with intact outer packaging, we bear no responsibility. 3. Please keep the storage tag safely. Collection of luggage must be done with the depositor’s ID and storage tag, and no proxy collection is allowed. If visitors lose the storage tag, they should immediately call (0512-67576104) to report the loss and collect the luggage after verification of the items inside with their ID or proof from the local police station. We bear no responsibility if the luggage is collected fraudulently before reporting the loss. 4. If you do not collect your luggage in time, you can come to collect it the next day; luggage not collected within three days will be treated as abandoned items, and we bear no responsibility. Scenic Area Interpretation: The Humble Administrator’s Garden Visitor Center offers free manual interpretation services. Map of the Scenic Area: The Visitor Center provides a map of the scenic area, which visitors can collect and consult at will. Audio Guide Rental: Reference price: 20 yuan per rental; Location: At the small wooden pavilion at the west entrance. Umbrella Rental: Reference price: Free use, but requires a deposit of the user’s ID; Location: Visitor Center. Restrooms: The Humble Administrator’s Garden has multiple restrooms located near the east exit and the northeast corner of the entrance, marked with conspicuous signs. Nursery Room: Inside the restrooms of the Humble Administrator’s Garden, there are nursery rooms located near the east exit and the northeast corner of the entrance. Souvenir Shop: There is a commercial street at the north gate of the scenic area. Vending Machines: The Visitor Center provides vending machines, and the service hours are from 7:30 to 16:30.
