Tuisiyuan, or Retreat and Retrospect Garden, is composed of the living quarters, a courtyard and a garden, all of which are aligned on a west-east axis.
The living quarters consist of the inner and outer sections. In the outer section there are three halls. The inner section is made up of two two-storey buildings laid in the shape of "U".
The spacious courtyard is the transitional area between the living quarters and the garden. A boat-like pavilion stands near the entrance to greet guests.
The eastern garden is the cream of the property. Small and exquisite houses built by the pond not only provide advantageous positions for admiring the waters, but they themselves form part of the beautiful landscape. The Hall of Retreat and Retrospect, a main structure in the garden, was constructed on the moon-viewing terrace, from where one is able to feast his or her eyes on the surrounding scenes. Each of the buildings in the garden has its meaningful name, such as Lotus Pavilion, Stone Boat, Hardship Terrace, Pavilion of Rain Coolness, and Celestial Bridge, which is in fact a double-gallery rarely seen in areas south of the Yangtze. The southwest part of the garden is occupied by the Osmanthus Fragrance Hall, which has its own enclosed mini-garden. In the northwest corner is the Beauty Gathering Pavilion, which, connected with the Lasting Spring and Moon Viewing Tower in the middle part, offers a wonderful vista.
Tuisiyuan has a total of 24 buildings, 28 tablets and 12 steles. In addition, it has 15 valuable old trees of nine species, including magnolia.
(China.org.cn June 24, 2004)
