Li Garden (Liyuan)

Li Garden is a compact Jiangnan-style classical garden sitting at the edge of Lake Tai, where a series of small islands connected by causeways and zigzag bridges creates the impression of a much larger space. The arrangement of rockeries, pavilions, and water follows traditional principles — the garden is designed to reveal itself gradually, with each turn of the path offering a new composed view.

The most photographed feature is the lakeside covered walkway, which extends over the water on a long curving pier and frames views of the open lake. The garden is small enough to cover in under an hour and large enough to reward a slow pace. It is one of the genuinely good classical gardens in a province full of them.

things to do sight
A story
Li Garden was built in the 1930s by Xu Ziyan, a local businessman who dredged the shallow bay, built a causeway, and constructed pavilions following classical garden principles. The centrepiece is a long covered walkway on stilts over the water, modelled on the kind seen in Song Dynasty scroll paintings, which turns any ordinary afternoon walk into something unexpectedly atmospheric.