The case on the conservation and utilization of Suzhou gardens is being displayed at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale which opened in Venice, Italy on May 9 local time.
Founded in 1895, the International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, is one of the world’s oldest and most influential architectural events. This year’s Biennale is jointly hosted by the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe, the City of Venice, and the Royal Commission for AlUla, Saudi Arabia.
The case on Suzhou gardens submitted by the Suzhou Gardening and Greening Bureau is titled “Suzhou Garden Archives--Vivid Records of Conservation and Utilization of Heritage Gardens”, which has been praised as a model for the conservation and promotion of cultural heritage through archives by the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe. Through the selected texts and pictures from the Suzhou Garden Archives and those on the nine Suzhou gardens on the World Heritage list, the case, which consists of 4 thematic chapters, shares the successful practices of Suzhou classical gardens in such aspects as heritage value interpretation, systematic conservation and unified supervision, digitalization of heritage, adaptive reuse of gardens, youth world heritage education, international exchanges, and the establishment of sister-garden relations overseas.
The journey through the exhibition of Suzhou gardens at the Venice Biennale is enriched by information panels, bilingual promotional videos, as well as displays of a model of the vault from Canglang Pavilion and Ming-style tiles, offering visitors a chance to learn more about the unique architectural beauty of Suzhou gardens. The Suzhou Gardening and Greening Bureau has long been making active efforts to promote Suzhou garden culture to go global. The Suzhou garden archives displayed at this year’s Biennale provide a replicable Chinese solution for the protection and utilization of world heritage while further enhancing the international reputation of Suzhou gardens.
