Lou Lim Ieoc Garden

Lou Lim Ieoc was laid out in the 1870s by a wealthy merchant family on the Suzhou model: a walled garden of ponds with lotus, a nine-turn zigzag bridge, artificial rockeries riddled with grottoes, bamboo and a pavilion, all compressed into a small area so that the view changes at every turn. The family sold it, it decayed, and the government restored it in the 1970s. Musicians and tai chi groups use it in the mornings.

What you actually see

• The zigzag bridge - the nine-turn crossing over the lotus pond.
• The rockeries - artificial rock formations with grottoes and passages.
• The pavilion - the main garden building above the water.
• The morning use - tai chi groups and musicians in the garden early.

When to go

October to December is dry and cool. Lotus flowers in summer despite the heat. Early morning is when residents use it.

Honest expectations

The garden is small and an hour covers it. Restoration replaced a great deal of the original fabric. It gets busy with tour groups mid-morning.

Nearby

St Lazarus District is south, and Red Market is west.