The Tuisi Garden is located in Tongli town, Wujiang district, Suzhou city, Jiangsu province. It is a unique architectural masterpiece, brimming with poetic and picturesque charm, making it a precious cultural heritage of the Han ethnic group. The garden was built during the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty, between 1885 and 1887. Its owner, Ren Liansheng, also known as Nanyun, was accused of embezzlement and other crimes by the imperial court, which resulted in his dismissal from his post. He returned home and used 100,000 taels of silver to build the garden, naming it "Tuisi," meaning "retreat and reflection," to express his desire for self-reflection and atonement. The garden's designer, Yuan Long, ingeniously utilized less than ten acres of land to create various buildings, such as the Zouchun Pavilion, the Qin Room, the Tuisi Cottage, the Nao Hongyi Che (Red Boat) and the Mianyun Pavilion, which embodied the wisdom and diligence of Han intellectuals and craftsmen, as well as traditional Chinese arts, philosophy, and religion. The garden's enchanting scenery leaves visitors captivated and immersed in its beauty. General Bai Chongxi, a hero of the Chinese anti-Japanese War, also had a "Tuisi Garden" in his residence in Taiwan. |