Blue Wave Pavilion

Overgrown and wild, the 1-hectare garden around the Blue Wave Pavilion is one of Sūzhōu's oldest. The buildings date from the 11th century, although they have been repeatedly rebuilt. The entrance sits across a bridge that straddles the small lake out the front. Originally the home of a prince, the property passed into the hands of the scholar Su Zimei, who named it after a poem by Qu Yuan (340–278 BC).

Lacking a northern wall, the garden creates the illusion of space by borrowing scenes from the outside. A double verandah out the front pavilion wends its way along a canal. From the outer path, you'll see green space inside and from the inner path you can see views of the water. Look out for a 'temple' whose dark walls are carved with the portraits of over 500 sages, and the 'pure fragrance house' has some impressive furniture made from the gnarled roots of banyan trees.