Suzhou Fishing Villa (Jue’an)

Suzhou Fishing Villa (Jue’an)

Suzhou Fishing Villa (Jue’an) is a cultural relic protection unit of Suzhou City.

The Fishing Villa, also known as "Jue’an," is a villa built in 1934 (the 23rd year of the Republic of China) by Yu Jue, a renowned calligrapher of the modern era, in Fishing Village. The villa is simple yet elegant, with the lake right at its entrance and the Shangfang Mountain standing in the distance. With water nearby and mountains afar, the scenery is absolutely stunning. In 1965, the villa was taken over by the government, officially renamed "Fishing Villa," and fully restored. Originally in front of the villa there was a lakeside pavilion surrounded by water on all four sides, built in the 22nd year of the Qianlong reign by Governor Yin Jishan. Although the corridors, pavilions, halls, and courtyards of the villa are simply constructed, this ancient residence faces the mountain and borders the water—truly a place where “distant boats hide in the misty waves that sweep past the city walls, while nearby peaks glisten with emerald hues that dampen one’s clothes.” Stepping outside, you’ll find crystal-clear waters nearby with white geese playing in the lake, and in the distance, the peaks of Shangfang Mountain and Qizi Mountain compete in beauty, offering endless views of lake and mountain scenery that are truly intoxicating.

The main hall of the villa, "Fushou Hall" (Hall of Blessing and Longevity), got its name from the imperial calligraphy gifts of the characters "Blessing" and "Longevity" bestowed by Empress Dowager Cixi during the late Qing Dynasty. It is an elegant and spacious hall, featuring a plaque inscribed with “Imperial Decree of Commendation.”

The rear hall is called "Tianjing Feilai Hall" ("Heavenly Mirror Arrived Here Hall"). "Tianjing" refers to the "Tianjing Pavilion" built by Fan Chengda of the Song Dynasty. Its original site was in the lake southwest of the villa. In 1986, during the 2500th anniversary celebration of Suzhou’s founding, the "Fishing Villa" was reopened to the public after renovation, and Professor Su Yuanlei specially inscribed the name "Tianjing Feilai" for the rear hall. Below the plaque are eight calligraphy and painting scrolls that enhance the hall’s charm.

The "West Garden" of the villa was the area where Yu Jue once “planted herbs, vegetables, flowers, and bamboos.” Its central structure is the "Nongpu Hall" (“Farmstead Hall”). According to the "Mudu Chronicles," Fan Chengda of the Song Dynasty had a "Stone Lake Villa" where he “built a separate ‘Nongpu Hall,’ facing the Lingjia Temple and overlooking Stone Lake.” No relics of the original structure remain. The current "Nongpu Hall" is a Ming Dynasty building, originally part of the "Yangxian Caotang" (Leisure Cultivation Hall) in the Pan family garden on Xibaihua Lane in Suzhou. In the late 1950s, it was relocated to the Suzhou Embroidery Research Institute in the city, and then moved again to its current location in the early 1990s. The plaque with the three characters “Nongpu Hall” is compiled from Fan Chengda’s "Poetic Stone Inscriptions of Four Seasons’ Rural Pleasures."

Scenic Area Address: Fishing Village, northeast of Shihu Lake, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province

Transportation: Take bus no. 415 within Suzhou City and get off at Shihu Xingchunqiao Station.

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Suzhou Shihu Zhiping Temple Ruins

Suzhou Shihu Scenic Area

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