China: Suzhou – Lion Forest Garden

The second most impressive garden among the Classical Gardens of Suzhou is the Lion Forest Garden. Unlike the other gardens that focus on water and trees, this one is almost entirely dedicated to rocks. The absolute heart of the garden is its massive, multi-tiered labyrinth made of Taihu rocks (porous limestone harvested from the bottom of nearby Lake Tai). Covering over 1,000 sq m, this artificial mountain range features 9 winding interconnected paths, 21 caves, and 3 distinct vertical levels. It’s really a labyrinth of rocks and easy to get lost in here and that’s actually the point – it was designed intentionally to mimic the Zen journey of finding clarity through confusion.