Savoring Tongli: The Pearl Pagoda Garden, a Miniature Ancient Town

Travel Date: March 2021

Mode: Self-drive

Route: Nanjing – Tongli Ancient Town, Suzhou (Tuisi Garden – Lize Girls’ School – Wang Shao’ao Memorial Hall – Pearl Pagoda – Chuanxin Alley) – Suzhou Tongli Ancient Town (Jiayin Hall – Chongben Hall – Gengle Hall – Luoxingzhou Island) – Tongli Beilian Village – Suzhou Luzhi (Baosheng Temple – Shen Bohan’s Former Residence – Rice Shop – Jiangnan Culture Park) – Nanjing

Pearl Pagoda Garden Scenic Area

Address: No. 16, Shupi Lane, Wujiang District, Suzhou

The courtyard walls here are not high, just like ordinary residences, and the entrance is unassuming; but for the plaque above the gate reading “Pearl Pagoda Garden,” you might easily miss it.

Passing through the first gate, you enter a courtyard. Beyond that, the walls and gate become taller, exuding the aura of a wealthy family—understated elegance. You need to show your ticket to pass through this gate.

Another elegantly simple courtyard brimming with spring.

The ceremonial gate of the mansion is solemn and rustic. In ancient times, the “ceremonial gate” was a second gate inside the entrance of official residences or mansions.

Above the ceremonial gate hangs a plaque inscribed “Censor’s Residence,” and on the walls on either side are pictures and texts introducing its history. Pearl Pagoda Garden is the former residence of Chen Wangdao, a censor of the Nanjing court during the Jiajing–Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. The entire site is divided into three parts: east, west, and north. The eastern part houses the Censor Chen’s mansion; the western part is the rear garden; the northern part comprises the ancestral hall, the Chen family memorial archway, and the ancient opera stage. Stepping through this gate,

I entered the first inner courtyard. It was spacious, with a main hall and a pavilion. Vermillion structures with black-tiled walls and black beams and pillars made the compound bright and lively.

In this courtyard enclosed by whitewashed walls and black tiles, there is a vermillion sedan chair hall.

The upper half of the sedan chair hall is entirely adorned with exquisite, elegant decorative window lattices. It is rare to see a sedan chair hall so large and so ornate in a typical garden.

The sedan chair hall of Pearl Pagoda Garden was where hosts or guests stopped their sedan chairs and alighted. Lining both sides are ceremonial placards that signify the master’s status and authority.

The sedan chair hall also served as a tea hall, a place where sedan-chair bearers and attendants could rest and drink tea.

In the center of the hall hangs a magnificent panoramic view of Pearl Pagoda Garden in gold and azure.

The brick-carved entrance to the inner residential quarters of the Chen mansion is imposing and dignified.

Every detail showcases the exquisite craftsmanship of the artisans.

In this courtyard stands the mansion’s great hall—Honglü Hall.

The great hall of the Chen residence was used for important ceremonies, weddings, funerals, and receiving honored guests.

In the center of Honglü Hall hangs a painting of “Pine and Crane Bestowing Longevity,” and all the furnishings exhibit superb woodcarving.

I walked along a side corridor, its walls displaying calligraphy artworks.

Everywhere, little scenes in the garden revealed spring’s touch.

Looking up at the towering courtyard walls, you’d never guess, walking along the streets of Tongli, that such a deep and grand mansion lay hidden here.

The Censor Chen’s mansion consists of two routes of five interconnected courtyards, so the long, narrow service corridors linking them seem especially profound.

From a service corridor, I came to a courtyard on the west wing of the mansion. There stood a two-story wooden building, again in vermillion hues. This is the master’s study, the Wenxiang Reading Tower.

A white-walled, black-tiled Jiangnan dwelling accented with a vermillion main building—the color contrast is beautiful and draws the eye.

Back on the east wing, I reached the fourth courtyard, the inner residential hall of the Censor Chen’s mansion, where the family lived. Upstairs was the boudoir of Miss Chen Cui’e; downstairs, the eastern room was the bedchamber of Censor Chen and his wife, and the western side housed the lady’s maid and other maids.

The courtyard is flanked by covered corridors, and the latticework between the buildings seems to have been meticulously carved.

The third courtyard is the front hall of the inner residence—Lanyun Hall, also called the family hall, where the master met relatives and conducted daily life.

Inside, sculptural tableaux depict scenes from the widely known Xiju opera “The Pearl Pagoda,” a folk tale of Jiangnan. It tells the story of Fang Qing, a nephew of Lady Fang, who was allowed into this very hall. Humiliated by his aunt for his poverty, he later returned after passing the imperial exams, disguised himself, and humiliated her in turn, all in this hall.

Looking up beyond the high walls, the willow greens and flower reds were so alluring.

From the sedan chair hall to the main hall, then into the inner quarters, with white walls and black tiles, walking through gave a profound sense of “how deep the courtyard is.”

Leaving the mansion proper, I was suddenly greeted with a sense of bright openness, as if emerging from a dark willow grove into a new village. A small river flowed through, yet this was not the old town beyond—it was still part of Censor Chen’s residence. This was no mere mansion; it was a miniature town, complete with bridges, flowing water, and homes.

I hadn’t expected the stream to flow into the Chen family grounds, becoming an interior waterway of their rear garden.

Truly a great household: it had both water and land access, with boats arriving by water and a dock at the end of the channel for mooring, and sedan chairs received in the sedan chair hall. The inner stream is separated from the outer stream by a wooden barricade to prevent outside boats from entering. A red Chen family memorial archway stands by the water.

The small river and flagstone path make it feel just like an ancient town. There are gates in the compound walls that let you return to the mansion itself.

Peach blossoms glow red, willows green by the river; the bridge across is elegantly shaped. Every classic town element is here, yet set entirely within a mansion—it still feels unbelievable.

A boathouse stands by the river; in olden times, wealthy families could receive goods directly by boat.

The boathouse is like a modern-day garage.

On the opposite bank is an entrance to the ancestral shrine.

This is where ancestors were honored and sacrifices performed, a symbol of the clan.

A round gate leads to an opera stage. The ancient stage is a square traditional platform, with “Exit” and “Entrance” marked as “Chu Jiang” and “Ru Xiang” according to old conventions.

Above the stage is a ribbed caisson ceiling, beautifully constructed, especially the woodcarving of “A Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix,” everywhere exuding antique charm.

Flanking the stage are Zhiyin Zha studios, named after the ancient tale of Zhong Ziqi and Yu Boya, who found a kindred spirit through the music of high mountains and flowing waters.

The opera stage has exquisite ridge decorations: a dragon playing with a pearl and a warrior holding a whip.

Carved beams and painted pillars tell stories through flowers, birds, and figures.

Through a decorative window on one side of the stage, you catch a delightful glimpse of the lovely rear garden.

Entering the rear garden from beside the stage, this small building is a side view of the Cuifang (Jade Barge).

Walking around the pond, the full view of Cuifang Tingyu (Jade Barge Listening to the Rain) comes into sight.

Strolling around the pond, every step yields a new scene, endlessly varied. A few more steps, and the Floating Jade Barge looks just like a boat resting on emerald green lake water.

Across the water is Qingyuan Hall, with its hipped-and-gable roof and four upswept eaves. Its terrace fronts the water and is encircled by carved railings.

Rockeries pile up by the pond, deep pines lush and dense, green willows gracefully trailing.

Many tree species are planted around the pond; in different seasons, fragrant blossoms delight the senses. Now, crabapple flowers steal the show. Against the backdrop of the Jade Barge and the covered bridge, I get a close-up of the weeping crabapple.

Pavilions and towers, long corridors and quietude, rockeries and ponds, luxuriant flowers and trees.

On one side, Jingming Pavilion; on the other, Lüqiu Pavilion, both glowing beautifully in the sunset.

The covered bridge serves as a bridge, with its architecture that of a corridor. Leaning on the railing, I take in the view. There aren’t many visitors, and enjoying the garden’s serene harmony feels like a true pleasure.

Red-tailed koi sway in the pond, joyfully chasing each other, bringing a touch of liveliness to the otherwise quiet garden.

The covered bridge, like a rainbow lying on the waves, has behind it a two-story building called “Shuiliu Yunzai Pavilion.” Climbing up to view the garden, the perspective is naturally different.

Looking down, the upswept eaves of the pavilion seem to challenge the covered bridge.

The covered bridge beneath the flying eaves, the rippling emerald water, the lush woods, the flowers blooming all year round, plus the waterside pavilions and terraces—the scene overflows with a sense of abundance.

An array of structures in the rear garden—terraces, pavilions, towers, halls—are all built around the water.

Peeping through a floral window into the garden.

The rainbow-like covered bridge, the secluded corridor, the lush foliage.

Qingyuan Hall faces the water and backs onto the mountain, leaning against a bamboo grove. With windows on all four sides and a winding corridor connecting them, it’s also called the Four-Sided Hall, where the master entertained guests in the garden.

Jingming Pavilion stands over the water, while Xiaolan Pavilion perches atop a hill. The staggered heights of the buildings, along with the mountain stream—this architectural style is unique to Pearl Pagoda Garden, brimming with Jiangnan charm.

The painted pleasure boat rests quietly by the willow bank, waiting to ferry people across.

Fallen leaves floating on a small pond create a poignant beauty.

The winding corridor and covered bridge link the garden’s sights like a colorful ribbon.

This is Pearl Pagoda Garden. Its name might make you think there is a pagoda here, but there isn’t. “Pearl Pagoda” refers to a treasured family heirloom—the pearl pagoda that Censor Chen Wangdao gave as a dowry for his daughter. I visited Tuisi Garden first. The delicate, exquisite beauty of Tuisi Garden, created in a tiny space, contrasts sharply with the expansive scale and grand design of this garden. This place surpassed my expectations; it is almost a miniature ancient town. The newly restored Pagoda Garden is divided into three sections: the eastern residential area, the central ancestral hall, and the western garden. A small stream separates the eastern and central sections. There are imposing, solemn grand residences. The wood, stone, and brick carvings, the clay sculptures, the furnishings, the architectural framework—all were meticulously designed and carved, exuding the aura of a great mansion. The rear garden centers on Qingyuan Hall, with Jingming Pavilion and Shuiliu Yunzai Pavilion standing gracefully across the water... In the garden, mountain streams babble, rockeries tower, corridors twist into secluded spots, stone bridges lock the shimmering water—Pearl Pagoda Garden, centered on the “literati’s ideal landscape garden,” creates a 360° panoramic painting. The ancestral hall and ancient opera stage are all present, but what amazed me most was that canal introduced from the north into the mansion. Seeing a pond in a grand estate is nothing unusual, but seeing an actual river—I think this is my first time.