From the appearance, you may think that Suzhou Gardens built by the hermits are quite small, and then you are cheated. Once you get inside these gardens you are surprised by their size. The architects used all kinds of sleight of hand to add space, or the illusion of space. The hermits preferred the atmosphere of being tucked away in the far corners of their gardens. They sometimes built a man-made mountain as a backdrop to a garden to hide a narrow passage way leding to a hidden pond full of lotuses. They tried to achieve the unity of men and heaven.

However, the hermits like nature very much but they still lived in the city. On the one hand, the life is more convenient in the city; on the other hand, the hermits had an obligation to take care of their children’s education. They burdened their children with their own unfulfilled dreams of political prominence. And that’s why Suzhou has produced more top scores in the Imperial Exams than any other Chinese city.