Guanyun Peak, A Marvel of Natural Sculpture

338 Liuyuan Road, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China

4.7

Introduction

Guanyun Peak is an excellent Taihu stone in the Liu Garden, known for its unique features of being "lean, wrinkled, leaky, and translucent". It is said that this stone was a treasure in the Song Dynasty's Hua Shi Gang at the end of the dynasty. During this period, despite the cruel war in the north and the continuous expansion of the Jin army, Emperor Huizong of Song built the "Yanfu Palace" and the "Wanshou Mountain" in the capital city of Beijing. He also ordered the collection of exotic flowers and rare stones from all over the country with the aim of seeking for treasures for the palace. In the fourth year of the Suining era, he specially set up the Su-Hang Yingfeng Bureau, which was responsible for collecting name flowers and peculiar stones under the leadership of Zhu Mian. Zhu was good at currying favor with his superiors. After taking up this position, he had the power to purchase the "Hua Shi Gang". He spared no efforts in collecting things from the people, and as long as he heard that someone had exotic stones or wood at home, he would immediately send troops to grab them. Any resistance would be regarded as a crime of "disrespecting the authorities". To take away stones and trees, he didn't hesitate to temporarily dismantle the walls of people's houses, or even the entire buildings. As a result, he collected too many flowers and stones from the people, which triggered the discontent of farmers led by Fang La, resulting in the peasant uprising in the Suzhou area. The Northern Song Dynasty was finally destroyed by the Jin Dynasty due to empty treasury and people's misery, and Emperor Huizong himself became a captive. Guanyun Peak became a treasure left behind by the "Hua Shi Gang" that failed to be transported to the capital city of Beijing.

Address

338 Liuyuan Road, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China

Opening hours

08:00-18:00 (Monday-Sunday, January 1-December 31)

Transportation

You can take subway line 2 to Shantang Street and walk there after getting off.