I heard the saying while I was in China. I would agree with Hangzhou, but I didn't think Suzhou was so pretty. Maybe it was nicer back when the saying was invented.
I agree but i think it has to do with aesthetic. Suzhou and Hangzhou are two very different aesthetics. Suzhou's gardens are a very particular style of art that ye olde Chinese high culture valued (and still values). It's like French or British gardens, or architecture - very human and very culturally resonant. Hangzhou is just naturally beautiful and you don't need any education or cultural context to understand natural beauty.
The garden we went to in Suzhou was beautiful, but I guess I mean the city as a whole. The area on the canals was really run down. And the air in Hangzhou was nicer and easier to breathe. So more than culture, I think it's that Hangzhou is naturally beautiful while Suzhou needs human intervention to make it beautiful.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2007-03-18 06:59 pm (UTC)The world above has the heavenly palace, the world below has Suzhou and Hangzhou.
Thank you for the photos!
But i should have used this icon
Date: 2007-03-18 07:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-03-18 07:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-03-18 07:41 pm (UTC)Suzhou's gardens are a very particular style of art that ye olde Chinese high culture valued (and still values). It's like French or British gardens, or architecture - very human and very culturally resonant.
Hangzhou is just naturally beautiful and you don't need any education or cultural context to understand natural beauty.
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Date: 2007-03-18 07:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-03-18 07:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-03-19 10:59 pm (UTC)