Shizilin Garden is also famous for its man-made hills with a labyrinth of winding pathways and caves and grotesque shaped peaks and cliffs. Its layout is spontaneous and natural, with hills mostly in the southeast part and waters mostly in the northwest. Winding corridors connect elusive buildings and terraces. Many architectural structures in the garden nestle against hills and are close to the waterfront.

Covering an area of 5.2 hectares, most of which is water, Zhuozheng Garden is large. Buildings in the garden cluster around water. The garden is divided into three parts: eastern, middle and western. The middle part is the cream of the garden with beautiful hills, clear water, exquisite buildings and exuberant trees and flowers; the west part of the garden features winding corridors on water, which quietly mirror secluded buildings and terraces; the east part is flat and spacious, with meadows and thriving bamboo. The garden has a large expanse of water. With scenery tailored to the landscape, this garden is typical of the classical garden style in areas south of the Yangtze River.

Liuyuan Garden can be divided into four sections: east, west, middle and north. Magnificent buildings with simple and elegant upholstery dominate the east section. The 9-meter Guanyun Peak is the tallest rock in the area. In the west section, maple trees thrive on the man-made mountains. In late fall and early winter, the red maple leaves paint a beautiful picture. Water prevails in the middle section, with man-made mountains and buildings circling around the lake in the middle. The northern section is pastoral, with bamboo, peach, apricot and willow tress, wisteria rack and vineyard on the banks of a brook running in front of the hill.

Suzhou's gardens are miniatures of nature as well as culture. The ancient garden builders were usually well-educated and well-versed in poems and painting. The interest, ideas and dreams of the owners were expressed in poems or articles inscribed on horizontal boards or parallel couplets.