Fruitful efforts

The most famous Suzhou gardens have benefited from continuous renovations since the 1950s, and some of them were inscribed onto the World Heritage List in 1997 and 2000. However, some lesser-known sites, like Keyuan, more urgently needed to be restored considering their historical significance, according to Zhu Haijun, director of Suzhou Conservation and Monitoring Center for the Classical Gardens of World Cultural Heritage.

In the last decade, 12 such gardens in the city, including Keyuan, were thus rescued in a comprehensive renovation project that was finished last year.