[2025 Suzhou Attraction] Travel Guide for Beibanyuan (Updated Apr)

Beiban Garden is a small and exquisite garden that embraces the beauty of "half." All the buildings in the garden are half pavilions, half corridors, half bridges, half boats, and half attics, which is unique to Suzhou gardens. There are two century-old white magnolias in the garden, with flowers as white as jade and exuding a faint fragrance. Next to the Beiban Garden teahouse, a white magnolia complements the classical architecture, making it perfect for taking pictures. Go up the stairs from the teahouse and you can also overlook the beautiful scenery of magnolia blossoms. 🌟Best time to view: Early March 📸Tips for taking pictures: Light: Use the soft light in the morning or evening to capture the delicate texture of the magnolias. Composition: Try to incorporate elements such as ancient buildings and latticed windows into the composition to add layers and storytelling to the picture. Shooting angle: Try different angles such as looking up or looking down to show the three-dimensionality and sense of space of the magnolias. ❤Nearby attractions: Suzhou Museum: A great place to learn about the history and culture of Suzhou. Humble Administrator's Garden: A world cultural heritage site and one of the four famous gardens in China. Pingjiang Road: An antique historical district, perfect for strolling and sampling snacks. 🎫Tickets: Free 🕙Opening hours: 8:00-16:30 📍Detailed address: Go to the right side of the gate of Shuxiang Shijia Pingjiangfu Hotel, No. 60, Baita East Road, Gusu District, Suzhou.

A loose yet tense journey, from strangers to friends who make plans to meet again. 8:30 Meet at Beibanyuan, where the staff of Pingjiangfu Hotel opened the mysterious door of Beibanyuan for us. Three little ones were playing in the pool, so carefree. 9:15 Passed by the Suzhou Urban Construction Museum, which was not on the itinerary. The building's "dialogue between ancient and modern" allowed us to rediscover Suzhou, a city we often visit. For the first time, we realized that there are so many ancient buildings beyond our knowledge. 10:00 Quanjin Guild Hall, China Kunqu Opera Museum, and the 2025 "Just in Time to Dream" Peony Pavilion-themed exhibition depicted a dream-seeking route for us to explore Kunqu Opera. We sat down for a short break and enjoyed a famous song, which was quite enjoyable. 11:00 Boarded a boat at Xiangmen Wharf to Xumen. The ancient city gates along the way were particularly majestic, giving us a sense of traveling through time and space. We passed by Shemen, quickly pressed the shutter, and welcomed the dancing golden snake. 13:00 After a simple lunch, we headed to the former site of the Jiangsu Provincial Surveillance Office, where a joint exhibition of aquatic art was held. The boundless imagination of the artists and the ancient building engaged in a dialogue across time and space, and the words "dialogue between ancient and modern" appeared in our minds again. On the way, we passed by the "Suzhou People's Hall" and looked forward to the scene of entering it in the future. 14:30 Arrived at Changyuan as scheduled, which is limited to 20 visitors per day, so remember to make a reservation in advance. Now, Changyuan is operated by Vanke's Youxiong Hotel, and behind every ancient door in the garden may be a place to rest. 16:00 Arrived at the Suzhou Silk Museum before it closed. The embroidery added a touch of beauty to the silk, and the exquisite exhibits were breathtaking. Young curator Luo Yier and a group of young artists once again presented a "dialogue between ancient and modern" here, bringing this trip to a perfect end. 20,000 steps in one day to check in at many lesser-known gardens, and we still had the energy to add a classic after dinner, Tang Yin's Former Residence, and rushed to the high-speed rail platform at the last minute. Looking back on the dialogue between ancient and modern throughout the day, every step was a scene, more exciting than a time-travel drama.

Meet up with your best friend nearby, take a walk in the afternoon, and visit Banyuan Garden, just a few hundred meters away. Banyuan Garden is located in the Peony Pavilion of the Scholars Hotel Pingjiangfu. It was built in the Qing dynasty and expanded during the Xianfeng period. The name "Banyuan" means "contentment." The garden is small, with a pond in the center, surrounded by a boat hall, a waterside pavilion, a winding corridor, and a half pavilion. The buildings are characterized by the theme of "half": "half mountain, half water, half garden," "half bridge, half pavilion, half corridor," and so on. The garden is free to enter. The round gate is closed after 10:30 am, but you can walk towards the hotel front desk and turn right at the moon gate to enter. In winter, during the off-season, the tea restaurant in the garden has no business and no tourists, so you can have the place to yourself. Stroll along the waterside pavilion, where the leaves of the wintersweet have not yet fallen, and the flowers are still in bloom. The wind blows, and the fragrance fills the air. There are no pretentious commercial photos or bustling tourists, just tranquility and elegance. This is the best way to experience a Suzhou garden.

Beibanyuan, also known as Lu's Garden, is a private small garden in Suzhou with a history of over three hundred years. Originally named 'Zhiyuan', it was built during the Shunzhi era of the Qing Dynasty by Shen Shiyi. By the Xianfeng era, it came into the possession of Jiangsu Governor Lu Jiemei, who renovated it and renamed it 'Banyuan'. Half mountain, half water, half entering the garden; half bridge, half pavilion, half corridor winding. The garden design revolves around the concept of 'half', which is said to reflect the life philosophy of its owner who 'is content and does not seek completeness, happily maintaining the half'. To truly understand this garden, one needs to know about the Lu background: it is said that the Lu family, sandwiched between neighboring families such as the Pan and Zhou families who were engaged in overt and covert struggles, saw through the disturbances of the world, did not wish to take sides, and simply closed the garden gate, maintaining a place of tranquility. Entrance is a pavilion/stop Generally speaking, the entrance to a garden is not described as a winding path leading to a secluded spot, but at least there is a sequence. The entrance to Beibanyuan is directly a pavilion, and it is completely open, which is a very eye-catching layout. Tracing back to its origins, this gate was originally the main entrance from the residence to the garden. With this understanding, it becomes more reasonable. The dynamic and static planning of the entrance being a pavilion (stop) is very effective for a garden with relatively small space and no room for a psychological transition area. This pavilion serves as a comma, a boundary, a mental turn between the mortal world and paradise. Endless half-bridge perspective Just right, from the entrance pavilion looking into the garden, there is a picturesque perspective towards the half-bridge, which is the focal point of the entire garden design. The water surface narrows to the stone bridge in front of the eyes, with the bridge's eaves watching over both sides, and the revetment stones and rockery terraces echoing each other in height. A wisteria vine over 500 years old twines around the bridge, and in spring, the wisteria blossoms fly, with a distant fragrance. Wild ducks play in front of the bridge, and the rockery along the wall behind the bridge is faintly visible under the mottled shade of trees. The most interesting part is the reflection of the stone bridge in the water, combining reality and illusion to form a complete circle. Banyuan is planted with ancient trees and famous woods such as white pine, magnolia, boxwood, and wisteria. In front of the tea room, there is a 150-year-old osmanthus tree, tall and full of flowers, making it a very charming spot to rest and enjoy the sweet osmanthus in the golden autumn. The afternoon tea in Banyuan is a 'fusion style' mix of Chinese and Western elements, with swan puffs, raspberry mousse, blueberry cheesecake, mini ham and cheese sandwiches, smoked salmon rolls, and other Western sweet and savory pastries, presented in exquisite Chinese containers. Tea choices include Biluochun, Longjing, Pu'er, and you can also pick a pot of roselle tea, a favorite among girls, with its slightly sour taste, just right to offset the sweetness of the pastries. 🍵Tea House Name: Pingjiang Mansion Banyuan Tea Room 📍Location: No. 60 Baita East Road, inside Banyuan (Enter through the main gate of Pingjiang Mansion~)