By Gisela Pan (Shanghai Daily)
Updated: 2007-10-11 10:53

Just as there is paradise in heaven, so there are Suzhou and Hangzou on Earth. Among the 24 recognized historical and cultural cities of China, Suzhou has attracted tourists from Marco Polo to the travelers of today because of its unique charm.

Also sometimes called Gu Su from a well-known poem by the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) poet Zhang Ji, Suzhou has a history of over 4,000 years although today's city was built in 514 BC.

After 2,500 years of the twists and turns of Chinese history, Suzhou almost succeeds in maintaining its appearance of 2,500 years ago with its 1,153 bridges built in all styles over 35 kilometers of its flowing river - it is the watertown of the East.

Suzhou has a rich cultural landscape with its graceful, delicate lake and nearby hills. Of its 69 classic gardens, the Wang Shi Garden, the Humble Administrator's Garden (Zhuo Zheng Yuan) and the Lingering Garden (Liu Yuan) are the most famous.

Suzhou's Gardens combine the concepts of Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianuism. Abstracting the essence of the architectural arts since the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), the gardens mix architecture, gardening, sculpture, painting, poems and essays, arts and crafts.

The Humble Administrator's Garden and Lingering Garden, together with the Summer Palace and Chengde Imperial Summer Resort are the four famous gardens of China.

Nine gardens, including the Humble Administrator's Garden, Lingering Garden and Wang Shi Garden are on UNESCO's World Heritage List.

Other scenic spots include: Tiger Hill (Hu Qiu), the Hanshan Temple, the Surging Wave Pavilion and the Garden of Harmony.

The beauty of Suzhou does not only lie in the gardens but also in its natural scenery such as the mountains surrounding Taihu Lake, like Lingyan Mountain, Tianping Mountain and Dongting Mountain.

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