99% of people don't know about this free garden in Suzhou.

Tianxiang Xiaozhu was built in the early years of the Republic of China. It was originally the residence of the Jin family, who were engaged in the financial industry. In 1920, it was owned by Su Qian, a lieutenant general of the Beiyang Government, and was called Su Zhuang. In 1933, it was rebuilt into a garden villa with a combination of Chinese and Western styles by Xi Qisun, the manager of the three major banks in Shanghai, and was renamed Tianxiang Xiaozhu. It now covers an area of 2,400 square meters, with a building area of 1,033 square meters, and is divided into two parts: the three-entry residence on the west side and the garden on the east side. 📍Address: No. 858 Renmin Road, Gusu District, Suzhou 🚇Subway: Exit 3, Sanyuanfang Station 🚘Self-driving: Navigate to Suzhou Library Parking Lot 🅿️Parking: CNY 5 🎫Tickets: Free 🕰️Opening hours: 09:00–17:00 🌈Features 1️⃣Tianxiang Xiaozhu is based on the layout and structural form of traditional Suzhou gardens, absorbing the style of northern architecture and integrating the characteristics of Western architecture, combining Chinese and Western styles, and northern and southern styles. 2️⃣The main hall is in the style of Suzhou Xiangshan architecture, while the front and back halls are in the style of Western architecture. 3️⃣The decoration combines glazed tile roofs, stained glass, patterned floor tiles, and traditional brick doors, flower windows, hanging doors, floor-to-ceiling covers, etc. The corridors are connected by two small courtyards, decorated with lake stones and flowers. 4️⃣The interior of the building preserves many works of art and exquisite decorations, such as various animal stone carvings, "Luoshen Futu" by Gu Kaizhi of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, calligraphy by Zhu Zhishan of the Ming Dynasty, "Farewell Picture" by Shen Zhou, "Autumn Leaves in the West Wind" by Tang Bohu, etc.