Built in 514B.C. with a history of more than 2,500 years, the city still stands at its original location in the Spring and Autumn Period. Well preserved are its double chessboard layout of "water and land in parallel, canal and street in neighbor", its network of rivers and canals composing three vertical, three horizontal and one ring, and its unique landscape of "small bridge, flowing water, white wall, black tile, cultural relics and classic gardens". In today's Suzhou there are 487 cultural relics under municipal-and-upper level protection, of which 15 are under state-level protection and 101 are under provincial protection. Over 60 classical gardens are well preserved and 9 of them are listed in the Catalog of World Cultural Heritage. Most scenic spots around the Taihu Lake are also in the city's administrative areas. In addition, thousand-year-old towns like Zhou Zhuang, Tongli and Luzhi feature the waterside sceneries in the Yangtze River Delta. In 1998 Suzhou was awarded "Excellent Tourist City of China.”
| SuZhou Jinji Lake LiGongDi Hotel |
No.36, Shuifang Rd., Singapore
Industry Park, Suzhou |
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| Suzhou Amusement Land Hotel |
NO,123, Changjiang Rd. New District, Suzhou |
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| Suzhou Liuyuan Hotel |
City Bridge Road No. 380, Tong Jing Road and Bridge Road intersection, saionji is opposite the parking lot |
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| Suzhou International Education Zone Shihu Express Hotel |
Buiding No.21 of No.1111 Yuexi Intersection,Wuzhong Avenue, Wuzhong District, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province |
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| Suzhou Mudu Tianpingshan Hotel |
No.777 Jinshan Road ,Mudu,Suzhou |
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| Suzhou Heshan Hotel |
No.233,Heshan Road, Suzhou High-Tech Zone |
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| Suzhou Panmen Scenery Hotel |
No. 747 Pan Xu Road,Canglang District,Suzhou |
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| Suzhou Station Hotel |
No.2156, People Rd., Pingjiang District, Suzhou |
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| Suzhou Shimao Canal Hotel |
No.1155,Weat Baodai Road, Canglang District, Suzhou City. |
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| Suzhou South Bus Station Express Hotel |
No.1 West South Central Road Changlang District Suzhou City |
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| Suzhou Shengze Hotel |
No.36,Shichang Street Shengze Suzhou,China |
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| Suzhou New District Science and Technology College Hotel |
No.1701, Binhe Rd. New District, Suzhou |
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| GreenTree Alliance Suzhou Hanshan Temple Hotel |
NO。218 MaYun Road New District |
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| GreenTree Inn Suzhou Donghuan Road Shell Hotel |
253 Donghuan Road, Pingjiang District, Suzhou |
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| Suzhou Guanqianjie Hotel |
Suzhou Pingjiang District causal Lane No. 13, north of Guanqian Street, the people's road and causal Lane intersection 300 meters east |
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| Suzhou Wuzhong Hotel |
200 North DongWu Road, Suzhou China |
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| Suzhou Xiangcheng Avenue Hotel |
Oufeng Business Street, Xiangcheng Avenue, Xiangcheng District, Suzhou |
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| Suzhou Mudu Ancient Street Hotel |
Mudu Town, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, South Street Square, 29 Tsui |
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| Suzhou Xiangchang Vigor Island Hotel |
No.906, West Shenhu Road, Xiangcheng District, Suzhou |
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| GreenTree Inn Suzhou Zhuhui Road Express Hotel |
Suzhou city Zhuhui Road No. 358, radio and television station on the West side. |
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| Su Zhou Yangyuxiang Hotel |
Jiangsu province Suzhou city Pingjiang District 229 Lane Road near go-getters Parenting |
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| SuZhou ShiLu Hotel |
No.199,Guangji Road(South),Suzhou City. |
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Ping Jiang Road
A beautiful walk along an ancient road paved with hand-cut stones over a thousand years old and lined with shops maintaining traditional architectural styles. The Kunqu Opera Museum and School & the Pintang Museum are along Ping Jiang Road -- admission is free and you can get a cup of tea for ¥3. Kunqu Opera performances are at 1:30PM on Sundays -- only ¥10 for tea to sit and watch. There is a surprising amount of western style coffee shops with full English menus, internet and English books at the Bookworm Cafe. Relax and get a drink along the river. If you get further north on this road, but south of the museum area, the shops eventually run out and it just becomes a quiet neighborhood again. This may be the best part of all.
Tiger Hill Pagoda
Tiger Hill Pagoda and Hill (Yunyan Ta and Huqiu Shan) was built during the Song dynasty from 959 to 961. Previously a Buddhist temple, the site was burned during the Cultural Revolution. Some buildings have been reconstructed and there is a 48-meter tall brick pagoda with seven stories and eight sides remain, though now shy of its wooden outer skin. The pagoda one of the few remaining examples of pagodas of this type. It is sometimes called the Leaning Tower Pagoda because it leans to the north by 3.5 degrees. Tiger Hill, underneath the Pagoda, is the burial place of He Lu, founder of Suzhou and King of Wu who fell in battle in 496 BCE. The hill dominates the surrounding area, which contains various garden areas and buildings. Two outstanding gardens are the Verdant Mountain Villa (Yongcui Shanzhuang) and the Wan Jing Villa. Tiger Hill is also the former home of architect I. M. Pei, who was born in Suzhou. It's a nice place to walk around and explore, though, and parts of it are quite beautiful. Be ready for a terrible gauntlet of souvenir vendors you'll have to go through to get in and out of the main gate to Tiger Hill. It can get pretty intense. Just ignore it and keep walking.
The Humble Administrator’s Garden
It is said to cost a boatload of silver and taken sixteen years to build. Tours through the garden start every 5-10 minutes. Included in the tour is a "Chinese marriage", a look at carved tree roots, followed by a boat ride through the garden canals. If you don't want the tour, you can also just wander around on your own and simply appreciate the place. The creation of striking views- sometimes borrowing features from other nearby gardens or scenic spots- is an important element of Suzhou gardening, and from that aspect this garden is truly a masterpiece. The incredible collection of bonsai tress ('pen cai' or 'pen jing' in Chinese) at the end of the garden furthest from the main entrance is worth a trip all by itself. Do not do the incense burning/fortune telling thing at the end of your guided tour unless you are really curious, or you think your wishes will be granted if you do so, or you simply enjoy being a fleeced tourist. Even on quiet days, this garden is full of people and noisy. Other gardens, below, offer a more relaxing experience.
The East Hill
Lying 40 kilometers to the southwest of Suzhou, the East Hill is a peninsula extending into Taihu Lake. Bus No. 20 goes directly there. The peninsula is surrounded by water on three sides. The vast expanse of water, reflecting the sail and the gulls together with the 72 peaks including West Hill, Guangfu Hill, Dengwei Hill, etc, forms the picturesque Taihu Lake Scenic Area. In an area of about 70 square kilometers, there are 23 undulating peaks and 31 ravines. Anyone who goes boating on the lakes among the dense forest and steep slopes would linger around in great pleasure. During the long course of history, the emperors, the generals and ministers and men of letters visited here, leaving a large number of places of historic interest and scenic beauty. In the town of East Hill, there is still an old slabstone-paved street that extends nearly a thousand metres and is lined with another 34 lanes,a well-preserved pseudo-classic carved building,the Xi Family Garden built at the foot of hills and by the lake,the Camphor Tree Hall built for housing in Ming dynasty, etc. Scenic spots abound around the old town, such as the colored statues of Arhats in the Purple Gold Nunnery, the quaint buildings of Ming & Qing dynasties along Lu Lane , the Ling-yuan Temple below Biluo Peak , etc.
Tong Li
Being an ancient township, Tong Li borders on Tongli Lake on the east, Nanxin Lake on the south, and adjoins Pangshan Lake on the west, Jiuli Lake on the north and Wusong Jiang River on the northwest. The town proper is divided by the streams into 7 islets interlaced with the surrounding water area, forming the typical water county of the south. With a network of lakes and waterways, Tongli has not suffered from war since it was inaccessible in the old times. Therefore more ancient buildings are preserved, among which we can still enjoy the following scenic spots “ the Moon Viewing at the East Stream”, “the Misty South Market at Dawn”, “the Night Crossing at the West ferry”, “the Spring Sight in the North Hill”, “the Fishermen's Flute in the Water Village” and “the Misty Bamboo of the Chan Hill”. The traditional houses densely settle on the sides of the fine banks piled by Jinshan Stone, and winding alleys and streets paved with pebble stones still keep the ancient appearance. There are 24 bridges at the intersection of waterways. The Siben Bridge built in the Southern Song dynasty is simple and archaic. The Fu'guan Bridge built in the Yuan dynasty is grandiose.
The Couple’s Garden Retreat
Surrounded by the canal from three sides, the Couple's Garden Retreat has piers close to the front and back entrances. The pavilions, terraces and towers are centered upon the mountain. The Thatched Cottage at the City Corner, a principal structure of the garden, is made up of a group of double-roofed and multi-storied buildings, fronting a very natural and realistic yellowstone mountain, running from east to west, piled up by the great master Zhang Nanyang at the end of the Ming Dynasty. To the south of the pond is the Amongst Mountains and Water Pavilion. The West Garden consists of studies, pavilions and garden courts. One enters the garden and gets a glimpse of limestone mountains with caves connected up with each other below and an undulating wall above, which encloses and divides space. To the north of the mountains is the Old House with Woven Curtains, at the rear of which there's a study. A "L" shaped tower used as a library, decorated with rocks, trees and flowers in front.
The Lion Grove Garden
Compactly yet harmoniously spaced, the Lion Grove Garden has a prominent part for series of man-made mountains with various buildings around the lake, and an artificial waterfall and cliffs at the edge of the lake on the west. Noted for its labyrinthine mountains with winding pathways and caverns, old pines and cypress trees, awesome peaks and jogged rocks of grotesque shapes resembling dancing lions with striking and unusual poses, it possesses with pride the true delights of mountain and forest scenery in limited space with a flavor of Zen Buddhism. The Hall of Peace and Happiness, one of the principal buildings in the garden, is a master-piece of typical mandarin ducks' hall at Suzhou. Divided in halves, the northern half of the hall differs from the southern half in many particular aspects, such as beam-framing systems, furnishings, pavements, carvings, window designs and so on. With painted patterns and beam carvings and looking splendid in green and gold, the True Delight Pavilion in the royal style with the "True Delight "tablet inscribed by the Qing Emperor Qianlong is a main viewing place in the garden and differs from the other plain and elegant gardens of Suzhou. Other buildings include the pointing at Cypress Trees Hall, and the Asking Prunus Mumm Pavilion.
The West Hill
The West Hill Scenic Spot lies in the southern centre of Taihu Lake and the buses from Wuxian city Bus Station or Southern Gate Bus Station go directly there. Facing the East Hill Scenic Area, the West Hill is composed of Dongting west hill, the largest island in Taihu Lake and the other islands around. The scenery here embraces the essence of the hills and Taihu Lake featured by the unique archipelago scenes and the historic sites formed since the period of Wu&Yue. Counting more than 30, these islands lie in an even density, forming a grand scroll painting of boundless islands and lakes, hills and sky. Among the 72 peaks in Taihu Lake, the West Hill island proper boasts 41 layers upon layer encircling peaks rising in emerald verdure. Most of the West Hill is covered by various kinds of flowers and fruits. The types and quantity of flowers & fruits as well as the ancient buildings of Ming&Qing dynasties of the West Hill can rival those of the East Hill, while the afforestation and the number of ancient and famous trees surpass those of the East Hill. The main scenic spots of West Hill are cloud-encircled knoll of Qing-gang, snow-clad Mao-gang Hill, cloud view in Li-li, autumn moon of Shi-gong island, spiraling twilight smoke in Lin-wu, summer fishermen's song, sun-lit rippling rice, snow-white plums in Si-long Hill, etc.
Canglang Pavilion
Canglang Pavilion is located in the southern part of Suzhou, and is one of the four most famous gardens of the city. Canglang Pavilion is the oldest of the Suzhou gardens that can be traced back to the Northern Song Dynasty (906-1127). Before entering the garden, you can see beautiful scenery composed of a green water pool that is surrounded by a growth of weeping willows. In the garden you will see incredible man made rock formations that are divided into two parts. On the eastern side, the earth has been mixed with natural yellow stones and built in such a manner that it resembles a natural hill. On the western side, exquisite stones from the lake have been used to create another naturally appearing hill. Both of these rock formations have been planted with green trees and viridian bamboos that add to the beauty of the scene and create the sensation of walking in a primitive mountain forest. There are also winding corridors with pavilions that link the hills and pools together.