About Suzhou

Introduction of Suzhou

Lying at the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and on the bank of Taihu, Suzhou, the capital of Jiangsu Province, boasts a history of more than 4000 years. It was called “Wu” in the ancient times, and it was renamed “Suzhou” in the Sui Dynasty (589). Being a famous historical and cultural city, its natural advantages such as mild weather and large plains have long enabled Suzhou to be the “Land of Abundance” and the “Granary under Heaven”. It is still one of the most prosperous cities in China.

Suzhou is most famous for its gardens and rivers. In 1997 and 2000, the classical gardens in Suzhou were listed as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. Suzhou is also known as the “World of Gardens”. With numerous narrow waterways running through the town, Suzhou enjoys the fame as the “Oriental Venice”. Marco Polo recorded in his travelogue recording that “Suzhou is a very great and noble city. It has 1600 stone bridges under which a galley may pass.”

Also known as the “Capital of Silk”, Suzhou has also been a prominent center for China’s silk industry. The embroidery industry of Suzhou, together with those of Hunan, Sichuan and Guangdong are called the “Four Famous Embroideries”.

Visiting Suzhou City, you will not only experience a modern Suzhou with numerous skyscrapers, expressways, or supermarkets, but also the classical gardens, well-designed bridges, winding rivers, and quiet water towns, you will feel like you are in the heaven, just as an old Chinese saying goes, “In heaven there is paradise; on earth there are Suzhou and Hangzhou.”

Suzhou is a city in Jiangsu province. It is famed for its beautiful gardens and traditional waterside architecture. The Classical Gardens of Suzhou were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1997.

Suzhou was the capital of the kingdom of Wu from the 12th to 4th centuries BC. More recently, it has been a center of the silk trade and a place of gardens and canals. It has been called both the Venice and the Paris of the East. Suzhou has long been a haven for scholars, artists, and skilled craftsmen, and this is still the case today.

Suzhou has managed to retain much of a traditional Chinese look and many parts of the old downtown area are quite beautiful. A wander off the beaten path and into some of the old neighborhoods can be quite a treat. Suzhou is very much a water town- it's thoroughly criss-crossed with canals and bridges- and you can still see traces of a very old lifestyle centered around the canals.