#16 Retiring Teacher preparing to teach in China (More photos of Suzhou)

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I have been able to download some additional photos on the Jiangsu Province of China, and perhaps they will add some additional visuals to my last entry on the city and gardens of Suzhou. I hope they are informative and you will enjoy them.

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Photos

Entrance
Entrance to the home of the artist-scholar and his garden-home compound.

A brick-carver
The man sitting by the door carves beautiful shapes and figures into dark bricks. It is an ancient craft, and the work can be admired over entrances to homes, as one explores the village streets.

Harmony of the Chinese Garden
Within the gardens, it is a landscape in miniature. Care is taken to balance all elements of plant, stone, and water.

Tea by the water
Every corner provides the opportunity to envy the former owners. A calm descends on the visitor of the garden and tranquility slows the perception of time. Imagine the old families as hosts, in the traditional gowns of the time, entertaining their guests.

Entrance
Entrance to the home of the artist-scholar and his garden-home compound.

Visit early
It is a good idea to visit the gardens early, before the larger touring-groups arrive. Remember, that as a Westener, you will receive almost as much attention as the garden.

Fish waiting
The fish eagerly await the hand-outs from visitors.

old and proud
Great care is given every tree, many of them quite old.

The interior
The inside of the home felt open and inviting, and kept the home cool during the heat of the summer. The surrounding gardens
provided the paint-strokes of nature.
Note the beautiful calligraphy-scrolls
behind the chairs of the master. The person sitting, was our wonderful and save driver.

Which tummy to rub??
Mr. Arthur Lee from Taizhou College, Ms. Liz Lee from Guilin (no relation to Mr. Lee) suggested, that they should be rubbing my tummy, instead of this beautiful carving of a buddha.

something to grace your living-room
The scape is carved from the roots of what must have been huge trees, and are now facing up.

Wood-carvings are for sale
Mr. Arthur Lee, the Foreign Affairs Director of Taizhou College, has become a very dear friend.

Loving every day
The summers are very hot, resting was important, and rarely would you see me without my bottle of orange juice, as in the previous photo.