Master-of-Nets Garden is the most worthwhile characteristic garden in Suzhou. Master of Nets Garden is a classic of small gardens in Suzhou gardens, and Chen Congzhou, a famous ancient Chinese garden scholar, commented that "the master of nets garden is the best rule of Suzhou gardens, and it is also the best choice in the national gardens, and it is a model of winning more with less". In 1997, the Master-of-Nets Garden was inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List.

The Master-of-Nets Garden was first built in the Southern Song Dynasty, by the then Wenchen Shi Zhengzhi, because of the collection of thousands of books in the garden, it is called "Wanjuan Hall", and the garden is called "Yuyin". After several vicissitudes of life, to the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, it was purchased and rebuilt by Song Zongyuan, the Shaoqing of Guanglu Temple, and named it "Master of Nets Garden". Later, it was transferred to the hands of a wealthy merchant surnamed Qu, and Zhai's ingenious construction, and today's Master of Nets Garden gardening style and layout took shape at this time. Subsequently, the Master-of-Nets Garden changed hands several times, and it was almost destroyed to set up a factory, but it was finally restored and survived to this day.

The Master-of-Nets Garden covers an area of about 10 acres, with a total area less than one-sixth of the Humble Administrator's Garden, but its layout is compact, the structure is exquisite, the spatial proportion is coordinated, and the priority is clear. The outstanding structure of the Master-of-Nets Garden lies in the rich landscaping in the small space, and the garden within the garden and the scenery within the sight created in the vicinity are not inferior to the four major gardens. The Master of Nets Garden is divided into three parts: east, middle and west, the east is the house, which is the place where the owner of the garden entertains and lives; The main garden is the main part, which is the main part of landscape landscaping; The west is the inner garden, that is, the garden within the garden. For example, the rockery and flower platform in the central main garden are made of yellow stone, and the lake stone is used in the east and west; Flowers and plants such as peonies, peonies, green maples, and black pines are also carefully arranged. The buildings in the park are known for their low-key and small size, and the pavilions are hidden between the mountains and rivers, looming. The brick carved gatehouse of the main hall Wanjuan Hall is the most exquisite, known as "the first gatehouse in the south of the Yangtze River", the carving is exquisite, elegant and fresh.

The night tour is a major feature of the Master-of-Nets Garden, which was jointly launched by the Master-of-Nets Garden, the Suzhou Branch of China International Travel Service and the Municipal Department of Culture in 1990, and is the only night tour activity in Suzhou Gardens that continues to this day. The Master-of-Nets Night Tour is open from mid-March to mid-November every year from 19:30 to 22:00. During the night tour, performances of Pingtan, Kunqu Opera, dance, and folk music performances with Suzhou characteristics will be staged in various parts of the park. The duration of each program is kept at about 10 minutes, aiming to give visitors a general understanding of Suzhou opera, and there are docents leading the team to explain during the night tour performance, so tourists will not be completely stuck in the boring state of "layman watching the excitement". The price of the night tour of the Master-of-Nets Garden is 100 yuan per person, which is more than double the ticket price of the daytime garden, but the experience of visiting the park is richer, and it is basically worth the ticket price.

Master-of-Nets Garden is located at No. 11, Kuojiatou Lane, Daichengqiao Road, southeast of Suzhou City, which is deep in the alley and cannot be reached directly by vehicles. Compared with the four major gardens in Suzhou, which must be visited, the number of visitors to the Master-of-Nets Garden is relatively small, and most of them are independent tourists, and the people are scattered and will not be too noisy. In addition, free guided tours are available during the day.

Information Reference

Entrance fee:

Daytime (off-season): 1. Book 28 yuan/person in advance; 2. Reservation on the day is 30 yuan/person

Daytime (peak season): 40 yuan/person

Opening hours: Peak season (4.1-10.31) 07:00-17:30;

Low season (11.1-3.31) 07:30-17:00.