Spring arrives in Suzhou | Canglang Pavilion (1587)

| Canglang Pavilion (1587). Canglang Pavilion, located in the south of Suzhou city, is the oldest garden in Suzhou, originally built during the Qingli period of the Northern Song Dynasty (1041-1048), and in the early Southern Song Dynasty (early 12th century) it was the residence of the famous general Han Shizhong. The garden art of Canglang Pavilion is unique, with a pool of green water set outside the garden gate before one enters. The main landscape inside the garden is rockery, with a man-made hill facing the entrance, and the Canglang Stone Pavilion is situated on top of it. Below the hill, a water pond is excavated, and a winding covered corridor connects the mountains and waters. Mingdao Hall, located in the southeast part of the rockery, is the main building of the garden, and it is complemented by other structures such as the Five Hundred Sages Shrine, Kanshan Tower, Cuilinglong Pavilion, Yangzhi Pavilion, and the Imperial Stele Pavilion. Canglang Pavilion, along with Lion Grove Garden, Humble Administrator's Garden, and Lingering Garden, is listed as one of Suzhou's four major gardens from the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. In addition to the Canglang Pavilion itself, the garden also features the Yinxin Stone House, Mingdao Hall, Kanshan Tower, and other buildings and landscapes. In 2000, as part of the 'Suzhou Classical Gardens Supplementary Project' to the 'World Cultural Heritage', it was inscribed on the 'World Heritage List' by UNESCO, and in 2006, it was listed as the sixth batch of national key cultural relics protection units by the State Council.