Shortly after dawn, the 680-year-old Lion Grove Garden wakes up to the sound of chirping birds and its moist air is suffused with a floral scent. Mist has not evaporated. With a view of pavilions and rockeries and a sip of green tea, early visitors to this garden in downtown Suzhou, Jiangsu province, can feel a sense of Zenlike inner peace.
晨光熹微，有着680年历史的狮子林在鸟儿的鸣叫声中苏醒。潮湿的空气中弥漫着花香，雾气氤氲。望着亭台楼阁和假山流水，品一口绿茶，早早到来的游客在江苏省苏州市中心的这座园林里可以感受到一种禅宗般的平静。
When a group of monks during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) first constructed this garden, they may have just wanted to enjoy a quiet retreat, tucked away from urban noise. Nonetheless, in the following centuries, this enchanting garden－most notable for its waterside rockeries resembling the shape of lions－has attracted a constant stream of celebrity guests, who have left a long list of poems, paintings and historical anecdotes.
狮子林始建于元代。当僧侣们初次建造狮子林时，他们可能只是想远离城市的喧嚣，过上安静的隐居生活。然而，在随后的几个世纪里，这座迷人的园林，特别是这里众多酷似狮形的假山吸引了源源不断的文人骚客，让他们在这里留下了一长串的诗歌、绘画和轶事。
The temple has disappeared in the mists of time, but the Lion Grove Garden is still a must-visit attraction for travelers to Suzhou.
寺庙已经消失在历史的迷雾中，但狮子林仍然是来苏州旅游的人必去的景点。
While they will be admiring the same view as their ancient predecessors, against the louder backdrop of the modern world, they may need to work harder to attain a sense of tranquility.
虽然他们和祖先欣赏的是同样的风景，但在如今更为浮躁的当下获得一种平和的状态并非易事。
"In recent years, we've tried to restore the historical landscapes of Suzhou's classical gardens, but an exquisite garden cannot be an empty shell," says Bai Lingzhi, deputy director of the planning department of Suzhou Administrative Bureau of Garden and Landscaping.
“这些年来，我们在努力复原苏州古典园林的历史景观，但一个精致的园林不能是一个空壳”，苏州园林和绿化管理局规划管理处副处长柏灵芝说。
"We need more creative ideas to usher people into the lifestyle espoused by the gardens and thus promote their aesthetic value in the modern era," she explains.
她解释说，“我们需要更多的创意，将人们带入园林所推崇的生活方式，从而提升它在现代的审美价值。”
Consequently, last year, a new project was launched allowing tourists in small groups to reserve places to enter the garden in the early morning before the regular opening time. Their visit ends with them completing the last step in making a traditional folding fan, adding a poem about the garden on its surface.
因此，去年狮子林开设了一个新项目，允许游客在正常开放时间之前的清晨，以小团体的形式预约进入园林。参观结束时，他们会完成制作传统折扇的最后一步，即在扇面上誊抄一首关于园林的诗歌。
It is a poetic way to reminisce about the golden age of Suzhou's classical gardens.
这是对苏州古典园林的黄金时代的一种诗意的追忆。
"The experience can help us understand the wisdom, refined taste and philosophical worldview of the ancient Chinese literati," Bai explains.
柏灵芝解释说：“这种体验可以帮助我们了解中国古代文人的智慧、高雅的品味和哲学世界观。”
Not every architectural landmark is grand in scale, with splendid decorations, or dazzling colors. Suzhou gardens may just be the opposite.
并非每一座建筑地标都是规模宏大、装饰华丽、色彩耀眼的，苏州园林恰恰相反。
In 1997 and 2000, nine of the best-known classical gardens of Suzhou, including Lion Grove Garden, Humble Administrator's Garden and Great Wave Pavilion, were inscribed onto the World Heritage List. As UNESCO remarks: "Classical Chinese garden design, which seeks to re-create natural landscapes in miniature, is nowhere better illustrated than in the nine gardens.… The gardens reflect the profound metaphysical importance of natural beauty in Chinese culture."
1997年和2000年，包括狮子林、拙政园和沧浪亭在内的苏州最著名的九个古典园林都被列入《世界遗产名录》。正如联合国教科文组织所说，“咫尺之内再造乾坤。没有哪些园林比苏州园林更能体现出中国古典园林设计的理想品质......这些园林折射出中国文化中取法自然而又超越自然的深邃意境。”
Great Wave Pavilion, the oldest extant garden in Suzhou, was first built in the 11th century, though the earliest private garden in the city appeared in historical documentation in the fourth century, according to Cao Guangshu, director of Suzhou Administrative Bureau of Garden and Landscaping.
据苏州市园林和绿化管理局局长曹光树介绍，早在公元4世纪，历史文献中就已出现关于苏州私人园林的记载。沧浪亭始建于11世纪，是苏州现存最古老的园林。
The 16th to 18th centuries witnessed the peak time of Suzhou classical gardens, following the rise of the city as an economic hub, playing host to around 250 gardens.
16至18世纪，随着城市作为经济中心的崛起，苏州古典园林达到鼎盛时期，拥有约250座园林。
Some were inevitably lost to time, but some of the more recent ones kept blossoming. A comprehensive survey from 2015 to 2018 showed that the city is home to 108 classical gardens, 57 of which are in the historical neighborhood of Gusu district.
一些园林不可避免地被历史的尘埃所湮没，而另一些园林则越加历久弥新。2015年至2018年的一项综合调查显示，苏州有108座古典园林，其中57座位于姑苏区的历史街区。
"Suzhou gardens reveal people's adoration of nature by mixing elements of different natural landscapes into their designs," says He Fengchun, director of the Suzhou Institute of Landscape Architecture Design and a veteran in the conservation of the gardens. "They inspire us to pursue harmony with the world around us.
“苏州园林通过将不同自然景观的元素融合到设计中，展示了人们对自然的崇拜，”苏州园林设计院院长、园林保护的资深人士贺风春说，“这些园林启发我们追求与我们周围世界的和谐。”
"Visiting a garden is like unrolling a traditional Chinese landscape painting," she further explains. "So, like paintings, ancient Chinese philosophy and morals are hidden in the details of the gardens."
“参观园林就像是一幅传统的中国山水画在你面前徐徐展开。” 她进一步解释说，“因此，像绘画一样，中国古代的哲学和道德也隐藏在园林的细节中。”
For example, when choosing plant varieties, people preferred plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo and chrysanthemums, which are hailed as the "four nobles" by the Chinese literati, representing the noble spirits of traditional culture.
例如，在选择植物品种时，人们首选梅花、兰花、竹子和菊花，它们被中国文人誉为“四君子”，代表着传统文化的高贵精神。
The Craft of Gardens, or Yuanye, the first Chinese treatise on the art of gardening, was published in 1634, and has been a lasting guideline for the development of gardens not only in China, but also in Japan and other countries.
《园冶》出版于1634年，是中国第一本园林艺术理论的专著。本书对园林开发提供的理论指导经久不衰，对中国、日本和其他国家都影响深远。
Perhaps, Suzhou gardens epitomize a famous line in the book. It wrote: "Though being artificial, they seemed like natural wonders."
书中名言“虽由人作，宛自天开”，或许苏州园林便是其典范。
"Unlike their Japanese counterparts, which often follow rigid design formats and unveil the pathos of things, people want to maintain an emotional affinity with nature in Suzhou gardens," He explains. "That affection for life thus brings more diverse scenery and a cozier living environment."
“日式园林的设计往往严格遵循制式，讲求表达物哀。苏州园林则不同， 人们希望在此保持对自然的情感和亲切。” 他解释说。“这种对生命的情感因此带来了更多样的风景和更舒适的生活环境”。
In centuries past, Suzhou also largely directed the development of ancient Chinese landscape gardens as a whole.
在过去的几个世纪里，苏州也在很大程度上指导了中国古代园林的整体发展。
For instance, Suzhou gardens were among the favorite destinations of Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) emperors when touring southward from Beijing. Emperor Qianlong (1711-99) visited Lion Grove Garden six times.
例如，苏州园林是清朝皇帝从北京出发南巡时最喜欢的目的地之一。乾隆皇帝曾六游狮子林。
"If it were not for the emperors' love for Suzhou gardens and their desire to 'transplant' them northward, would there be those grand royal gardens like Chengde Mountain Resort?" He asks.
“如果没有皇帝们对苏州园林的喜爱，并希望将其‘移植’到北方，还会有承德避暑山庄这样宏伟的皇家园林吗？”他问道。
Regardless of whether those classical gardens in Suzhou were once owned by high officials or nobles, literati or artists, as well as business tycoons, their days as residences have long gone. Nonetheless, these "pearls scattered on a piece of jadeite", as the city's gardens are described by He, have lasting legacies, guiding people how to live.
无论苏州这些古典园林是否曾经为高官或贵族、文人骚客以及商业大亨所拥有，它们作为住宅的日子早已成为往事。然而，如贺风春所说，这些坐落在苏州城中的园林如同“散落在翡翠上的珍珠”是经久不衰的遗产，亦蕴含生活之道。
"With the basic colors of white and black, they set an elegant tone for the following development of Suzhou," she says. "So we rarely see tawdry design in the modern urban construction of this city. The aesthetics of the gardens also inspire us to think about how to create a poetic living environment at home."
“用极简的黑与白作为底色，这些园林为苏州的后续发展定下了一个优雅的基调，”她说，“所以我们在苏州的现代城市建设中很少看到俗气的设计。同时，园林的美学也启发我们思考如何在自己家中创造一个诗意的生活环境。”
For Bai, from the garden administration, the 108 gardens form a cultural network and create a continuous path through time and space that paves the ethos of this city. She says further display of their values can contribute to transforming the whole city into a "park", delivering benefits far beyond tourism.
对于园林管理部门的柏灵芝来说，这108座园林形成了一个文化网络，并穿越时间和空间为这个城市的精神面貌作了铺垫。她表示，进一步展现园林的价值有助于城市向“公园”转型，带来的好处不仅限于旅游业。
"Managing a city is more than governing land. People now dig deeper into history and can, as such, delicately cultivate a city's growth in a way that suits them," she says. "Ecological protection and many other urban infrastructure projects can learn from the design ideals of the classical gardens."
“管理一个城市不仅仅是治理土地。人们现在更深入地挖掘历史，因此可以因地制宜地精心培育一个城市的发展。生态保护和许多其他城市基础设施项目都可以借鉴古典园林的设计理念。”
Zhu Haijun, director of Suzhou Conservation and Monitoring Center for the Classical Gardens of World Cultural Heritage, considers education programs for the young generation as key to passing down the intangible legacy for the future.
苏州市世界文化遗产古典园林保护监管中心主任朱海俊认为，对年轻一代的教育是传承非物质遗产的关键。
"The future destiny of the classical gardens is in their hands," he says. "We'd like to plant a seed in their hearts so that the gardens can continue to thrive through the ages."
“古典园林的未来命运掌握在他们手中，我们想在他们的心中种下一颗种子，这样园林才能够继续蓬勃发展，历久弥新。”
As night falls in the Humble Administrator's Garden, the largest among the 108 sites, soft light and a melody imbued with a sense of antiquity combine to evoke a memory of ancient literati, under a silvery moon.
当夜幕降临在108座园林中规模最大的拙政园时，在银色的月光下，柔和的灯光和充满古韵的旋律相互辉映，古代文人描述的美景得以重现。
By a pond, artists deliver Kunqu performances, an ancient local opera famed for its elegant movements and lyrics, which was listed as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2001. Digitized versions of traditional Suzhou paintings are projected onto the walls giving the impression of slightly waving in the breeze. It is another immersive visiting program that began last year.
池塘边，艺术家们演奏昆曲。这是一种古老的地方戏曲，因优雅的动作和歌词而闻名，2001年列入联合国教科文组织“人类口述和非物质遗产代表作”。传统苏州画作的数字版本被投影到墙壁上，仿佛在微风中轻轻飞舞。这是去年开始的另一个沉浸式参观项目。
The subtle grace of the gardens still flows via the languid canals that snake across Suzhou. Hardly felt, their strength in shaping the city's character seems to linger forever.
园林的精妙优雅仍随着苏州蜿蜒慵懒的运河在城市间流淌。它似一种若有似无的力量，一直塑造着这座城市的性格，历久绵长。
编辑：陈月华 周婵
记者：王恺昊
视频：栗思月
录音：Stephanie Stone
实习生：程程
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