Retreat and Reflection Garden, Suzhou 苏州退思园

Location: China, Jiangsu, Wujiang District, Suzhou Google Maps Amap
Part of: Tongli Town, Suzhou, Classical Gardens of Suzhou, National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit
Nearby: Zhouzhuang →︎13km, Suzhou ↖︎19km, Jinji Lake, Suzhou ↑︎17km, Twin Pagodas of Luohan Temple, Suzhou, Jiangsu ↖︎19km, Luzhi Town, Suzhou ↗︎19km, Sanqing Hall, Xuanmiao Temple, Suzhou, Jiangsu ↖︎19km, The Humble Administrator's Garden, Suzhou ↖︎20km, The Three Hills of Lake Tai ↙︎43km, Lake Tai ←︎49km, Wuxi ↖︎53km

The Retreat and Reflection Garden is in Tongli Town, Wujiang District, Suzhou, Jiangsu. It was the home and garden of Ren Lansheng in the late Qing. Dismissed from office in Anhui after an impeachment, Ren returned home and built the garden, naming it after a line in the Zuo Zhuan: “In office, think of serving loyally; in retirement, think of making amends for one’s faults.” The residence lies to the west and the garden to the east, set around a single pond; its pavilions, waterside halls, corridors and towers are built right at the water’s edge in a compact layout, earning it the name “the garden close to the water”. It is part of the World Heritage Classical Gardens of Suzhou, and the only one of them outside the old city of Suzhou.