The Lion Grove

The Lion Grove is just down the road from the Humble Administrators Garden, in easy walking distance,so it is well on the tourist map. As it is smaller the crowds are even more noticeable. The garden was built in 1342 when it was part of the grounds of a buddhist monastery by Wen Tianru, a zen buddhist monk in memory of his Abbot Zhongfeng. The garden gets its name from the large collection of rocks which are all supposed to resemble lionsin different postures
The most noticeable feature of the garden is the 3 dimensional rock labyrinth dividing the east and west sections of the garden.It has 3 levels with vantage points, 9 paths and 21 caves. there is a legend that two immortals wandered in and could not find the way out so they had to settle down to a game of chess. Although the garden has been restored several times over the centuries the basic structure set in the huge rocks remains.