 Southwest of Wuxi on the shore of Lihu Lake (formerly Wuli Lake), this famous garden occupies 5.4 hectares, almost half of which is water area. It is said that in the fifth century B.C., Fan Li, a senior official of the State of Yue, retired after having helped his master King Gou Jian defeat the State of Wu. He went boating on Wuli Lake with Xi Shi, a famous beauty, and changed the name of the lake to Lihu after his own given name. Liyuan Garden, with its pavilions, corridors, and causeways at the lake side, is exquisitely designed and harmonious in colour. Its manmade hills were erected to resemble the shapes of clouds. They are ascended along spiraling, labyrinthine paths.
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