Suzhou in Jiangsu Province west of Shanghai near Tai Hu Lake, dates back to the 6th century BC and was a prosperous town on the Grand Canal during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), as the city's prized silk was exported north.
Criss-crossed by willow-lined canals and surrounded by walls, Suzhou impressed the visiting Marco Polo with its beauty.
Modern-day Suzhou is also a large, industrial city of over 5 million people but Suzhou's historical temples, pagodas, canals and especially gardens are still there and well worth a visit.
As China's foremost producer of silk in the medieval period, Suzhou attracted a mix of wealthy merchants and learned scholars, who in the city's heyday, had built over a hundred gardens, only a few remain but they constitute Suzhou's most famous attractions.
Gardens
The Lingering Garden (Tel: 0512 6557 9466) was built in the late 16th century by a local doctor as a place of repose for his patients to recover in. A UNESCO World Heritage listed site, the garden covers around 3 hectares and is divided into a number of separate areas. Highlights are the many charming pavilions, ponds and a huge, carved rock from Lake Tai.
The Humble Administrator's Garden (Tel: 0512 6751 0286), Zhuozheng Yuan in Chinese, is Suzhou's largest and most famous garden. It was established by a retired magistrate Wang Xian Chen and developed over time by subsequent owners. Again, the garden is divided into (three) parts and contains lotus ponds, zigzag bridges, bamboo groves and a small museum explaining the concepts of Chinese gardens.
The Master of the Nets Garden, along with Suzhou's other gardens is a UNESCO World Heritage listed site. This smaller garden dates originally from the 12th century but was restored in the 18th century. Divided into eastern, western and central parts, the eastern part consists of residential quarters and servants' rooms, while the gardens are located in the central and western parts. The superb use of space and borrowed scenery are the main features of this beautiful garden.
Suzhou Attractions
As well as its famous gardens, Suzhou has a number of historic temples, pagodas, bridges and museums. In the south west of the city, the Pan Men area has been completely restored. Pan Men, was a fortified gate that controlled entry to Suzhou by land and water. This coiled gate dates from the 1350s and its China's last remaining land and water gate. Also in this area is the three-story Hall of Attractive Scenery, the gracful, curving Wu Men Bridge and the 43m-tall, seven story Ruigang Pagoda.
Back towards the main station is another pagoda - Beisi Ta or North Temple Pagoda. This nine-story tower has great views of modern Suzhou and the patches of green that are the city's gardens below.
Cold Mountain Temple - Hanshan Si - is named after the 7th century poet-monk Han Shan - the temple grounds, which are about 5km west of downtown Suzhou in
Fengqiao (Maple Bridge), are pleasant and popular with tour buses. Another poet Zhang Ji is also celebrated here with his poen "Anchored at Night by the Maple Bridge" inscribed on a stone stele in the temple complex.
Tiger Hill in the north west of the city is the burial place of He Lu, the King of Wu, and founder of the city. The leaning, brick pagoda on top of the hill is over a thousand years old and upto 2m out of the perpendicular.
Suzhou Silk Museum (Tel: 0512 6753 6538) is a must-see and dedicated to the over 4,000-year-old history of silk production in the city. Exhibitions (with captions in English) include old silk looms, samples of ancient patterns and live silk worms feeding on mulberry leaves.
The Daoist Temple of Mystery (Xuanmiao Guan) dates from way back in the 3rd century, though has been rebuilt a number of times over the ages.The Hall of the Three Pure Worshippers is the largest Daoist hall in China. Located in the old commercial sector of the city, the temple became associated with the area's many street entertainers.
Suzhou Essentials
Transport
Shanghai's Pudong International Airport is the nearest international airport.
Trains run Suzhou to Shanghai and Nanjing. The journey time to Shanghai is around 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on the type of train. There are trains to Wuxi (30 minutes) and Nanjing 2 hours, 30 minutes.
There are buses from Renmin Lu, next to the train station to many towns in the area including Shanghai, Wuxi, Nanjing and Hangzhou.
Overnight boats travel down the Grand Canal to Hangzhou.
Suzhou in Jiangsu Province west of 
