In the name of the Ouyuan Garden, ou means two people ploughing side by side, which is a primitive way of ploughing, and symbolises scholars retiring from the world and living as farmers. The people who ploughed side by side in the Ouyuan Garden were its owners Shen Bingcheng and his wife Yan Yonghua, an affectionate couple. The Ouyuan Garden is built like a dreamlike love poem.

Beginning in 1876, the second year of the Guangxu reign, Shen and Yan, in rapport with each other, lived in seclusion for eight years. Later, Shen Bingcheng was reappointed by the imperial court, and the couple left Suzhou. In 1890, the 16th year of the Guangxu reign, Yan Yonghua died. Shen Bingcheng painstakingly sorted and published Yan’s works, and finally they were buried together. Their eight years at Ouyuan Garden were poetic and romantic, short yet unforgettable.