Exploring China: Suzhou

While Hangzhou is famous for the waterside scenery and old buildings of West Lake, the once prominent city of Suzhou has its own waterside sites. Suzhou is not as heavily touristed as Hangzhou, however, and its picturesque waterside villages make it a nice alternative to China’s domestic tourism capital.

The former capital of the once prosperous Wu dynasty, Suzhou is, today, known as the Venice of the East. There are several villages in Suzhou that are built alongside canals. The “water roads” are still in use, and it is possible to book a boat to float down these unique waterways. The Grand Canal has boat tours, some of which run overnight.

Tiger Hill has a beautiful, hundred and fifty foot tall Temple. There are seven storeys on this building, which is said to be a perfect example of Song Dynasty (around 1000 A.D.) temples. A trip to this temple is worthwhile, especially since the views from the hill are very scenic. There are several gardens and several other buildings of note, making the hill worth an entire day’s visit.

Liu Yuan, one of China’s finest gardens, was recently declared a world heritage site by the United Nations. There are many gardens in Suzhou, but this is the finest, classiest of them all. Garden lovers and those who appreciate natural beauty will be able to spend an entire day wandering through Liu Yuan. Beware of places like Zhou Zheng Garden. These gardens are also well maintained and quite beautiful, but exist mainly as tourist traps. Yi Pu Garden is a nice; out of the way garden with a moat surrounding its exterior. It is in a far northern section of the old quarter, and, though a bit difficult to find, is interesting.

Suzhou is well known throughout China for its silk-making. The Silk Embroidery Institute is a working business that offers tours of its factory. While shoppers might find the prices rather steep here, the quality is good. Shopping is also good around the city’s many temples and gardens. The Suzhou Silk Museum has a gift shop that has some worthwhile options.

Other places worth visiting are the Blue Wave Pavilion, (a thousand year old garden) and North Temple, which is a 1500-year-old temple that is a signature of Suzhou. Many tourists claim the most pleasant views in the city are from the upper floors of the North Temple. Learning about the temple’s colorful and eventful history is part of the fun as well.

Suzhou has plenty of gardens and temples to visit. This is a good alternative to some of China’s busier tourist stops.