Suzhou, “A dream made of gardens”
The city of Suzhou represents the home of the Wu kingdom dated back in the 12th century to 4th BC. The same kingdom influenced the Shanghai culture and origin. The city is considered a very authentic, characterized by canals going across the city. Suzhou is also home of beautiful gardens and main center of silk trade. Locals are often expert artists and talented craft men, indeed schools where to learn those arts are still present today.
Nowadays Suzhou constitutes a core economic zone for the China’s economy, sitting on the Yangtze River Delta. However the location has managed to remain a very animated city, where past traditions and lifestyles are still visible today, particularly around the canal area. It is really easy to get there, mainly thank to Shanghai Flights. Different tour operators organise tours around the city, tourist interested can book the Suzhou tour through China Tour.
As previously said, tourists can enjoy the vast collection of gardens within the city, where the canals characterized their uniqueness. The Humble Administrator’s Garden, (one of the main gardens), said that has cost a boat full of silver and 16 day to build it. The visit of the site includes a boat ride through the garden’s canals, where it is possible to admire a wonderful collection of Bonsai that worth the whole visit itself.
Another garden that tourist absolutely cannot miss out, is the Lingering Garden, it takes almost a day visit itself. During the visit tourist are able to enjoy the two traditional musics Pingtan and Guqin, recognised by the UNESCO as “intangible world heritage arts”. In top of this the Lingering Garden is included in the UNESCO World heritage since 1997. Even though only two gardens have been listed since now, the city includes quite a few of them such as: The small Classical Garden, The Garden of Cultivation, Tarrying Garden, The Garden of pleasure, The Couple’s Garden Retreat (strongly advised if it is raining as it provides roofs) and The Lion Forrest Garden, representing one of the most famous gardens in the city thanks to its collection of pitted rocks, and the Buddhist story of the Lion. Around the area is also located the Former residence of Poet and Scholar Yu Yue in the ancient Liuhuafang Block, where it is possible to sit for a tea with the locals for no more than 3 RMB (40cent of dollar).
Although the city’s main attractions are constituted by gardens, the destination offers a range of different temple and museums to be visited. The North Temple Pagoda, immerse in the middle of the gardens, also visible from the train station thanks to its peak, represents one of the most important temples in Suzhou.(see picture). Tourists can also visit Twin Pagodas, the Temple of Mystery dated back in the 3rd century, Confucian Temple, Cold Mountain Temple, Ding Hui Temple and Huqiu Tower. For those tourists deeply interested in the historical aspect of the city it is strongly suggested a visit to the Suzhou Museum, the Suzhou opera Museum and the Suzhou Silk Museum. The latter should be strongly considered by families as the live silk worms makes the museum more enjoyable for kids.
As the City offers many attractions to visit and tourists are strongly advised to accommodate there more than a single day in order to fully enjoy the destination as a whole booking at China Hotels.
