The Surging Waves Garden, often called Great Wave Pavilion, was built by the Song Dynasty poet Su Shunqing on the site of an existing imperial garden. It is the oldest of the UNESCO gardens in Suzhou, keeping its original Song Dynasty layout. The name is derived from a verse in the poem Fishermen by Qu Yuan in his book Songs of the South, "If the Canglang River is dirty I wash my muddy feet - If the Canglang River is clean I wash my ribbon". This verse alludes to an official who removes himself from politics rather than act in a corrupt manner. After his death the garden passed through many owners and fell into disuse until it was restored by the governor of Jiangsu Province. In 1955 the garden was opened to the public and in 2000 it was added by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage monument.
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