The private gardens of Suzhou go back to the 11 – 19 cent. The the temperate climate in the Yangtze Delta with frost-free winters and high humidity as well as the numerous rivers and lakes in this area have provided outstanding natural conditions for the gardens, with their evergreen trees, varieties of grasses and flowers as well as charming brooks, lakes and waterfalls. At the lower course of the Yangtze many kinds of stone are mined. The erosion caused by the water, lasting for centuries, created bizarre forms, which were used for the representation of the mountains and, still today, give the gardens a special charm. At the beginning of the 20th century there were still about 170 gardens in and around Suzhou. From about 60 gardens, which are still preserved, UNESCO declared 9 World Heritage Sites. We visited the “Humble Administrator’s Garden” at Suzhou and the “Retreat and Reflection Garden” in the charming old “water town” Tongli.