Special Mention

The palace is the largest and the best-preserved royal garden in the world with the richest cultural connotation,hence it is honored as a the museum of royal gardens. Its general layout makes full use of the hill and the lake，together with the borrowed views from the peaks of the west mountain，which brings about infinite scenery variations with exceeding beauty. The buildings in the palace are the architectural cream from all parts of China. The administrative and residential areas in the east of the palace are typical of the quadrangle in northern China，where the enclosed courtyards are connected by various roofed causeways. The lake area in its south，however，is an imitation of West Lake of Hangzhou， where a dyke divides the lake in two，thus giving it an obvious touch of southern China landscape. On the north side of Longevity Hill，the scene is that of Tibetan masery，where stand white pagodas and buildings like blockhouses And in north，the Suzhou Market Street，with all kinds of shops and its crisscrossing water courses，is again in the style of the waterscape in southern China.