By Aubrey Buckingham (Shanghai Daily)
Updated: 2007-07-03 10:44

If you were to ask the average expat if they have visited many places in China, they are likely to shake their head and say: "Nah, just Suzhou and Hangzhou."

What exactly is wrong with these neighboring cities that would make people so dismissive? True, these places in Jiangsu Province and Zhejiang Province respectively may not be as exciting as say, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, but the short distances between both and this city make them promising candidates for the quick trip or weekend getaway. What about the oft-quoted Chinese saying that "Above is paradise, and down on Earth are Suzhou and Hangzhou."

As a relative newcomer to the city, the newly fangled CRH bullet trains were the first form of rail travel I have done in the country. The verdict? They are fantastic. Comfortable, spacious and quick to boot - Suzhou is a swift 45-minute hop from the Shanghai Railway Station; a drive to Shanghai Pudong International Airport could take longer. While tickets are relatively inexpensive, they are still dearer than the old express trains, meaning you are less likely to be sitting next to those who lug their possessions with them in those huge checked plastic bags.

The scene that awaits around Suzhou Train Station cannot be described as pretty. After the pleasant train ride to promised serenity, the cacophony of renovation and road works leads you to wonder if you ever left Shanghai.

Thankfully all that is put behind once the locus of arrival is out of earshot. The cradle of Wu culture is less developed than Hangzhou, but is picturesque in its own right. The older, inner city is somewhat sleepy and obviously suffers none of the congestion Shanghai residents grapple with each day.

In fact, Suzhou has often been described as the "Venice of the East" with its myriad canals. Marco Polo once said that the city was "great and noble ... It has 1600 stone bridges under which a galley may pass."

Given such circumstances, it would be a grave injustice to the once-thriving metropolis of industry and commerce in the southeastern coast of China not to take an idyllic cruise down the numerous waterways.

Gondolas are obviously the preferred choice for travelers seeking an authentic experience, but the motorized boats travel further from the more touristy areas. A voyage from tourist spot Shantang Street at night is an absolutely sublime way to enjoy the cool night breeze and to soak in the tranquility of Suzhou by night.

There is an obvious otherworldliness during such a jaunt. The calm, well-spaced lights embedded in the stone bank reflect idly on the unfathomable water as passengers peer vicariously at ordinary citizens carrying on with their lives. After the day-to-day scrum that is big city living, such mellow quiescence is greatly appreciated.

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