Master of the Nets Night Garden(Shi Quan Jie)
网师夜花园Traditional Performances in a Classical Garden
苏州市姑苏区阔家头巷11号
No.11 KuoJiaTou Xiang
Gusu, Suzhou
Generally operates from March to November. The Suzhou Gardens Bureau currently gives regular Night Garden hours as: 18:55–22:20 Last admission: 21:35
Master of the Nets Night Garden (网师夜花园) is a separate evening experience at Master of the Nets Garden, combining an illuminated walk through the classical garden with a series of traditional performances.
Rather than watching a single stage performance, visitors are led through the illuminated classical garden, stopping at different halls and courtyards for a series of short performances. The experience brings together the garden itself with some of Suzhou's best-known traditional arts, including Kunqu Opera, Pingtan and traditional Chinese music and dance.
The Night Garden dates back to 1990, making it one of Suzhou's longest-running garden night experiences. The current programme lasts around 45 minutes, with performances appearing one after another as visitors move through the garden.
Recent programmes have included scenes from The Peony Pavilion (牡丹亭), Pingtan, classical dance, and performances featuring instruments such as the pipa, flute, qin and xiao. The programme can change, so individual performances shouldn't be considered fixed.
Suzhou Scene Tip
This is more than an illuminated evening visit to the garden — the performances are the main reason to come. It's particularly worth considering if you want to experience Kunqu or Pingtan without committing to a full-length theatre performance.
The daytime Master of the Nets Garden and Wangshi Night Garden have separate admission, so you don't need to visit during the day first.