Stonemason Zhou Shicheng (周时臣) designed and built the East Garden (东园) as it was initially called.

The East Garden became famous in its day when the magistrates of Wu and Changzhou County both praised the design of Shi Ping Peak, a rockery constructed to resemble Tiantai Mountain in Putuo.

This door leads into the Gatehouse, the simple style of the whitewashed walls and stone lintel is typical of the urban design in ancient Suzhou resulting from the sumptuary law.

The gate house is a double arcade three bay hall with full gable roofline and bowed ridge decorated with the three immortals.

[2] A complex and unique structure composed of a courtyard, open 3 bay hall, and covered corridor which functions as a single space.

The courtyard is planted with two trees symbolizing jade (Magnolia soulangia) and gold (Osmanthus fragrans), a sign of prosperity.

The entry to this space is marked by a tablet inscribed by Deputy Prime Minister Zhu Boqi which read, "Paradise on Earth".

[2] A complex and unique structure composed of a covered passage that simulates a three bay hall Screen windows facing the pond and a two small sky-wells on the opposite side.

[2] This five bay full gable structure was inspired by a verse from Li Bai, "There are five peaks to the south of Mount Lu which seem to be the golden lotus flowers cut out by nature".

The selection of this verse was in turn was inspired by the preexisting Ming dynasty grotto which faces the front of the hall.

[2] On the backside of the Hall a courtyard houses one of the 12 famous scholar stones, Rhesus Monkey Peak, of Liu Su's collection.

Named for a verse by Gao Qi in Ode to Sunflowers, "brightness and beauty come from the vermillion light brushes and flowers lean on the shade side.

A three bay terrace structure rear double arcade, with a full gable roofline open on one side with backrest facing the pond.yard inlaid with phoniex fish deer crane bat and lotus paving designs.

The typical farmhouse design typology, three bay with flat eves and full gables, of the villa reinforces the idea of a rustic retreat.

A square three bay hipped gable roofline and flying eve pavilion connected to the roofed passage, and named after the grove of Cassia trees.

A one bay terrace structure with a hipped gable roofline open on one side, the flying eves are decorated with dragon ornaments.

It was a relic from the Song dynasty, and forms part of an arrangement with two other scholar stones, a pond and a surrounding complex of buildings.

Named after the Auspicious Cloud Capped Peak, it is a three bay hall with portico on three sides and a hipped gable roofline with flying eves.

A freestanding hexagonal pavilion with flying eves and ornamental capstone on the rockery beside the Auspicious Cloud Capped Peak.

An attached square pavilion over the gate to the Small Court of Stone Forest with a hipped gable roofline and flying eves.

[2] It is a tower facing a courtyard surrounded by a roofed corridor and decorated with 99 stelae from famous calligraphers of the Song dynasty.

A free standing hexagonal pavilion with a round roofline on top of the hill overlooking the peach blossom garden.

Named after a verse by Lu Yu, "Where the hills and streams end there seems no road beyond, amidst the shady willows and blooming flowers another village appears".

A square pavilion with pillar couplets connected to the covered corridor with a hipped gable roofline and flying eaves.

It is named after the grove of flowering trees it faces, which are meant to be a recreation of the scenery in utopian tale Peach Blossom Spring by Tao Qian.