Pavilion For Watching The Moon

Master Of The Nets Garden, Suzhou

The Wangshi Yuan, formally translated as "Master of the Nets Garden," is informally known as "Gone Fishing;" one of its owners claimed to aspire, following a successful official career, to just fishing on his lake. The present form of the garden dates from 1770 and later remodelings.

During a night visit, the pavilions on the shore are outlined by neon lights and reflected in the still waters of the lake. The effect is pleasing, almost in spite of its modern illumination. In former times, the light would have come from candles and torches, oil lamps, and the moon, shining in the sky and reflected in mirrors and upon the water.