Chinanews, Suzhou, Nov. 15 – In the old days, rich people in Suzhou liked to build their houses in a classical Chinese garden style. Living in such houses, they could appreciate the natural landscape without having to leave the houses. The rockeries, pavilions and finely decorated walls provided a good place for them to evade the noisiness of the city.

 

Today, apart from a few old walls, one can trace the ancient flavor of Suzhou only from these garden houses, some cultural experts say. These garden houses have recorded Suzhou's past and witnessed the historical changes taking place in the city.

 

Recently, Suzhou people's nostalgic feeling have come back. During the first half of this year, many local property developers kicked off some new housing projects and the new commercial houses were all built classical garden style. In the middle of the year, Wan Ke Real Estate Company, a company based in Shenzhen, came to Suzhou to develop houses with traditional garden style. In the latter half of this year, five more garden-style houses projects were sold in the market in just one month.

 

More and more real estate developers incorporate traditional garden style into their villa housing projects. Information shows that currently, there are about 70 villa houses that are put on sale and about 30 of them are built in traditional style.

 

As more and more people cherish the old living style, real estate developers and architects begin to inject more traditional elements into the construction. In China, the courtyard houses in the north and the Suzhou classical gardens in the south are said to be the artistic models for Chinese people in the past. Local government wants to retain the city's classic garden style. So, for the large housing projects, local government has made detailed plans with regard to the houses’ outer appearance, interior design and architectural style.

 

For a house that is built in an authentic Suzhou classical garden style, it is more than a living place. It is a piece of art and people can buy it and wait for its value to rise in future, industrial analysts say.