The Garden of the Master of Nets Travel Guide

The Garden of the Master of Nets is the smallest residential garden but most impressive one in Suzhou city.

It was first built in the Song Dynasty (960-1280 AD), featuring with effective use of space. Rock arrangements and beautiful fish pools balance each other as do the house and garden sections. The garden also contains many examples of using lattice windows to frame scenes of flowers or bamboo. The small space is its greatest charm as it encompasses all the elements of a classic Chinese garden within close boundaries.

The garden is divided into three sections: a residential section, an inner garden and the central main garden. The central main garden has a large pond that is surrounded by pathways and a variety of buildings such as the Ribbon Washing Pavillion, and the Pavillion for the advent of the Moon and Wind.

There are many more buildings that are situated so that there is never a sense of crowding, but always of spaciousness.
This garden is very small and as such, we recommend that you visit during an off-peak time to beat the crowds. Winter is Suzhou´s biggest off season and even in spring or summer, going in the early morning can help.