Lion Grove Garden (Shizilin)

Lion Grove Garden (Shizilin) is located on 23 Yuanlin Road, in the northeast of Suzhou-a city with profound cultural background and convenient developmental advantages. It is one of the four most famous and representative gardens of ancient classical style in Suzhou City. The other three are Blue Wave Pavilion (Canglangta), Lingering Garden (Liuyuan) and Humble Administrator's Garden (Zhuozhengyuan).
Covering an area of about 10,000 square meters (two and a half acres), Lion Grove Garden is an ideal sightseeing site as it has richly ornamental pavilions and towers in different styles; each has its own history and story. True Delight Pavilion (Zhenquting) is said to be the most magnificent in the garden due to its royal style and Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, who visited it six times, in 1765, wrote its plaque.

The name of Standing-in-Snow Hall (Lixuetang) came from a Buddhist story about a pure-hearted Zen adherent standing in snow for a whole night to worship his master. Pavilion for Greeting the Plum Blossoms (Wenmeige) was a place where painters and poets indited. In addition to the plum treesaround the pavilion, all the furnitures and utensils inside are decorated or carved with beautiful plum blossom designs.

Admission Fee:
CNY 40 (April, May, July, August, September and October)
CNY 30 (January, February, March, June, November and December)

狮子林是苏州市内著名的江南园林，它与拙政园仅百米之隔，与拙政园、留园、沧浪亭合称为'苏州四大名园'。狮子林虽然小，但园内假山嶙峋、曲径通幽，巧妙的布局反倒令人有走进迷阵的感觉。园内庞大复杂的假山群最为出名，这些怪石形似起舞的群狮，你可以数着石狮子、在这石头迷宫中体验捉迷藏的乐趣。

园林中央为池塘和假山，有'狮子峰'、'含晖'、'吐月'等怪石名峰，还有真趣亭、修竹阁、见山楼等建筑环绕池塘，登上见山楼可尽览园内山水。园林西部的土山之上有问梅阁，阁内桌椅、吊顶、窗纹都是梅花形，阁前遍植梅树。园内还有长廊环绕，长廊的墙壁中嵌有宋代四大名家苏轼、米芾、黄庭坚、蔡襄的书法碑及南宋文天祥《梅花诗》的碑刻作品。

狮子林始建于元代，原为禅宗寺庙的后花园，后被购为私宅。这座园林深受清朝乾隆皇帝钟爱，他六下江南必到此地，还曾说假山群内共有五百只石狮子。园内至今仍存乾隆所赐'真趣'等匾额，他甚至在圆明园、承德避暑山庄都仿建了狮子林。