Canglangting or the Surging Wave Pavilion was first built in the year of Jiashen during the Qingli period of Song Dynasty (1044 A.D.). It is the oldest garden in Suzhou. The Surging Wave Pavilion has a style of its own among all the gardens in Suzhou. It is not surrounded by tall walls and nor has its own scenery within, as most of other gardens do. Instead, outside the garden, there is a crystal-clear pond decorated with winding corridors, old trees and piling lakeside rocks. Visitors see the beautiful scenery even before entering the garden.