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At the end of the Qing Dynasty, Liu Gongbao, a leader in Shanghai's financial industry, left Shanghai during the pinnacle of his career. Returning to his hometown, Wengxiang village in Suzhou, he began to repair the ancestral home left by his forebears.

He believed that this quiet and beautiful courtyard could make the spring season stay long. So he named his house as Rong Chun Tang (Spring Garden).

Window view of Spring Garden

The people of Dongshan affectionately call Spring Rong Chun Tang as "108 rooms". The number of rooms is taken from the ancient legend of the 108 gods under the stars.

 

Night view

 Dongshan: A Paradise within a Paradise

Our site is located in Dongshan, Suzhou, a famous historical and cultural town adjacent to Taihu Lake. Fei Xiaotong praised it as "a paradise within a paradise" because of its abundant products and rich culture.

Dongshan  location 

Private car pick-up service is available

 

Dongshan is a peninsula surrounded by the third largest freshwater lake in China-Taihu Lake.

Dongshan Taihu Lake Sunset

Dongshan is the birthplace of the Wu culture, shining like a pearl among the mountains and blue waters. 

Overlooking of Dongshan

 Accommodation

 Rong Chun Tang is a former Ming/Qing residence carrying special memories of  many generations of Dongshan people. The Liu family is one of the "Dongting Merchants," and counts Liu Shu as one of their ancestors and builder of the famed Liu Garden.

 

Rong Chun Tang‘s main building was built in the late Qing dynasty; bricks found during restoration reveal part of the foundation was built during the Ming. The ancient structures are well preserved, including gate towers, halls, lobbies, lanes, residential buildings, and gardens.

 

Rong Chun Tang is not only a representative work of Qing Dynasty residential buildings, but also the largest one in the area. This historical space would be difficult to replicate today.

 Garden corners

The walls and corners hold secret carvings of character sayings and animals. Green glazed window tiles and other beautiful interiors characteristic of Qing Dynasty Suzhou-style dwellings adorn the buildings.

A detailed model of the ancient building,worked on by Wang Keda, specialist in architectural archaeology, Peking University.

Banquet in  the Osmanthus Garden

From 2018-2021, the Linden Centre, along with local artisans from the intangible cultural heritage guild, worked together to repair and revitalize this cultural relic into a boutique hotel and learning center.

Education Camp

 

The Taihu lake and mountains 

Rong Chun Tang is located in Wengxiang village at the foot of the mountains, free from the noises of the city. A stroll in the village may reveal surprises around every corner and any alley.

Communities around the Garden

During your stay at the Linden Centre, you can hike in the mountains of Mount Moli in the early morning, enjoy the fresh air, listen to the birds, and relax. You may visit the traditional Su-style local villages in Dongshan Town, explore the museum; or take a leisurely trip to Taihu Lake in the evening.

Taihu Lake

Traditional villages

Amenities

Main entrance

Overlooking the Linden Centre Suzhou

The third and fourth courtyards of the central and west wings are the main living spaces.

To maintain the original layout of this ancient building, there are 16 rooms in four separate courtyards; each room has a poetic name derived from eastern Chinese lifestyle.

King Room

In addition, Rong Chun Tang has ample public space: children’s room, reading rooms, cooking classroom, cultural salons, conference and meeting rooms-all can meet the needs of family travel and company groups.

Children's room

Reading room

Meeting room

Tea room

 

Food: “Anytime, all the time”

The soul of Subang cuisine comes from the concept  "anytime,all the time.” Suzhou people are well aware of their ubiquitous eating culture. Every month, ingredients emerge from the mountain or the lake, rendering 12  specific seasons in Suzhou cuisine.

Dongshan’s daily flowers, fruit, fish：Biluochun green tea,loquats, lake crabs and the three whites of Taihu Lake ...

 

 The delicacies of all seasons are collected in our dining room, "Rong Chun Xiao Guan" is a courtyard within a courtyard, where you are welcome to meet your appetite anytime, all of the time.

Dining room

On the second floor, three private rooms can enlarge into one large room. Eternal Spring is the theme of these banquet and event rooms.

Private room

 

Fun: local cultural activities experience

Dongshan  has natural ,historical and architectural  resources making it a fun and unique experience for the traveler.

The neighborhood of  Dongshan is dotted with small ancient wells, stone bridges, and private gardens. There are over 300 historical buildings to explore.We have created several  walking tours, our knowledgeable staff are looking forward to guide you around town.

Dongshan Old Street

We are excited to present guests with immersive cultural experiences suitable for all ages. Whether it's making local desserts or homemade fans, or tasting locally grown Biluochun green tea with farmers who grew it, we are confident you will find an experience to delight your senses.

Homemade Su-style mooncakes cooking class

Fan making class

Paint course 

Education: Camp Site

The Linden Centre focuses on exploring the local culture of Dongshan villages and towns, and has established an education platform for culture exchange.

Since 2010, we have collaborated with international schools and developed our own education camps  focusing on architecture, bio-diversity, and documentary filmmaking.

Workshops in the Linden Centre

Our Suzhou site has classrooms, a library, meeting rooms and study places for education programs. The student dormitory can host 32 students and can provide healthy and tasty meals.

Education dormitories

Linden Centre film camp began in Dali five years ago.  This summer, we completed our first camp  in Suzhou. Our new students interacted with the community to observe, record, communicate, and listen to these locals: museum guide, barber, gardener, and blacksmith. Over ten days, students produced, edited and showed their documentary films, memories that will last for a lifetime.

Film camp 2021 @ Suzhou

Students' interviews in Dongshan 

Our inaugural workshop, The “Village Voice", was established with 35 teenagers from United World College Changshu.The learning  concept was a combination of interacting with the local community through sound and technology.

Village voice Camp 2021 @ Suzhou

Students' Observations in Dongshan 

We are looking forward to introducing young people from all over the world to Rong Chun Tang -and like us, will fall in love with Suzhou's rural communities.

Hope to see you soon!

 

Reservation

Tel: + 86 180 1542 6165

Email: reservations@linden-centre.com

WeChat : search for "rct108" to add friends

or scan the QR code

Book here