Zhuozheng Yuan (Humble Administrator's Garden), 5.2 hectares, the masterpiece of Suzhou's classical garden tradition and a UNESCO site. Most tour groups rush through in 40 minutes — this private walking tour takes 4 hours. Your guide, trained in Chinese literature, walks you through the East/Central/West gardens explaining the borrowed-scenery technique, the Ming-Qing poetry inscribed on every pavilion, the Daoist hidden symbolism in the rockery placement, and how each window-grid frames a different 'painted scene'. Sit by the central pond for a tea ceremony in the Pavilion of Distant Fragrance. Suzhou-style noodle lunch nearby.
