Suzhou was mentioned in history books as early as in 484 B.C. since it was, for a few years, the capital of the State of Wu during the Period of the Warring States Period (403-221 B.C.). In 514 BC, by the command of King He Lu of Wu, his senior minister Wu Zixu built the Great City of He Lu, and its wall measured 23.5 kilometres in circumsference with 8 pairs of land - and - water gates. The city began to take the name of Suzhou and Gusu City during the Sui Dynasty. Numerous changes have taken place in Suzhou through its vast history. Yet, in spite of repeated devastation, the city is still seated exactly on the original site as it was 2500 years ago, which is indeed an instance rarely found in the world.
During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Suzhou saw a period of feudal economic prosperity and cultural flowering. Consequently, the number of privately-owned gardens in the city of Suzhou and its environs increased a great deal, mounting to 280 odd. A galaxy of great masters emerged and the art of landscape gardening reached its apogee.
Many have survived to the present day and are open to the public such as the Blue Wave Pavilion and the Garden of the Master of the Nets first built in the Song Dynasty, the Lion Grove in the Yuan Dynasty, the Humble Administrator's Garden and the Garden of Cultivation in the Ming Dynasty, the Garden for Lingering In, the Coupling Garden, the Garden of Harmony, the Zigzag Garden and the Listening to Maple Garden in the Qing Dynasty. The Humble Administrator's Garden and the Garden for Lingering In, noted for their artistic perfection and individual characteristics, are known as China's four most famous gardens along with the Summer Palace in Beijing and the Imperial Mountain Resort in Chengde. A Suzhou garden is the "origination of urban scenery", a microcosm of the world made of the basic elements of water, rocks, plants and buildings, which are arranged in such a way that they reflect the sequential beauty in the garden, the passage of time, the dissimilarity between mornings and evenings, and the succession of the seasons within the boundary of the wall and lead a sequestered life amongst the bustling city.
In 1981, this ancient city was listed by the State Council as one of the four cities (the other three being Beijing, Hangzhou and Guilin) where the protection of historical and cultural heritage as well as natural scenery should be treated as a priority project. Since then, with suburban economic projects, Suzhou has developed into one of the most prosperous cities in China.
Classical gardens in Suzhou were added to the list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1997 and 2000. An online tour of the gardens can be seen at the 'World Heritage Tours' website.[
