day trip to Suzhou

I took a day trip to Suzhou to see the famous classical Chinese gardens. There were many in Suzhou, I saw the biggest one, the Humble Administrators Garden, the smallest one, the Master of fishing nets garden, both are listed by UNESCO as world heritage sites. These were private gardens of scholars initially built in the Tang dynasty. Pavillions, ponds, winding corridors, graceful rooflines and paved courtyards were plenty. Even the small garden was designed to be a world onto itself. You don't see the garden at once, but have to explore, and discover its views. There were a lot of tourists there, but it's still possible to find views which were not crowded. It helped to hire a guide at the entrance, to help explain the history and see the best views. I did not go there thinking I should hire a guide, but I was glad I did.