China has many interesting places to visit. You can go to natural environments, such the well-known Yellow Mountain, Yangtze River and the great deserts along the silk road. Some places are full of typical Chinese elements from house building style, authentic local cuisine and folk cultures. But the trip to Suzhou, as one of the prizewinners for winning the "My Beijing Photo Competition" opened a new chapter in my travelling around China. Suzhou is just a crossroad of tradition, history and unique folk culture. 

Suzhou Characteristics

Suzhou is located in the Yangzhe River Delta Area and on the shores of Lake Taihu in the Jangsu province and is about 1 hour drive northwest of Shanghai. It's called a historic silk capital of China with 2,500 years of history.  When the Grand Canal was finished (581-618), Suzhou became a strategically main trade route. The city is full of beautiful stone bridges, temples, pagodas and historic symmetrically designed gardens. From ancient times, great travelers appreciated Suzhou like the European explorer, Marco Polo who called Suzhou "the Venice of China". Chinese people call it "Paradise on Earth". 

Chinese Culture Exploration

The first point we visited was Tiger Hill, named because it looks like a crouching tiger. There is also a legend said that the white tiger guarded the burial of King Helu. This hill is a popular tourist destination because of its natural beauty and historical sites, and has been visited by tourists for hundreds of years. There are rocks all over the hill with carvings of poetry and calligraphy. One of the rocks called "Sword Testing Rock" is very famous because of a legend that it was cleaved cleanly by the famous extremely sharp sword. Another famous rock is Thousand People Rock and Sword Pound with 3000 buried swords in it. Tiger Hill is full of cultural architecture and the most impressive one is the Yunan Pagoda. It is seven stories high and has a lean of 3.5 degrees which is why this pagoda is known as the "Leaning Tower of China." It is more than 1000 years old building making it older than the famous Tower of Pisa. 

Suzhou Temples

Another point in our trip was to the Hanshan Temple, which is a very active Buddhist centre. It was built in the Liang Dynasty (502-519) named after a monk. This temple is important for local community and cultural life. Hanshan Temple is famous in East Asia because of a poem, "A Night Mooring by Maple Bridge", which is popularly read in China, Japan and Korea. This is small proof of the beautiful scenery which has proven to be an inspiration for many poets throughout history. Other temples to visit around Suzhou are West Garden Temple, Taoist Temple of Mystery,   Confucian Temple, Gratitude-Paying Temple from Song, Tang and Yuan Dynasties. The beautiful scenery and mystical atmosphere creates the sense of travelling through time and experiencing ancient China.

Canals

Suzhou is full of places worth shooting so have a camera in hand ready to shoot. This includes the canal streets which are littered with barges and small boats. Suzhou is a water city, and the canal networks play an integral part in people's lives. Many ponds and lakes around the city are connected via a spider web of canals, lined with white wall houses with grey-tiled roofs. Bridges, canals and boats create a poetic atmosphere worth experiencing, and all of this in Chinese style.  An interesting canal system is in the 1000 years old Tongli Town, just 17 km from Suzhou. It is known as the "Museum of ancient Chinese architecture", with waterfront buildings from the Ming Dynasty and 49 bridges. Wooden boats, white-washed walls and humble people leading a simple way of life are points of interest to many a tourist. We experienced the Tongli atmosphere during the second day of our trip: we took a boat thru canals, walked around small paths between old buildings, and ate local candy. Another interesting point of our trip to Tongli was having lunch in the oldest restaurant in an area which was visited by Dr. Sun Yat Sen.  Tongli is also famous because many Chinese movies have been shot there.

Private Gardens

In Suzhou and Tongli, we had the chance to experience many different famous styles of gardens. One of the gardens in Suzhou was called the Humble Administrators Garden. It is recognized as one of the finest gardens in southern China and was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list in 1997. It was a scholar garden during the Tang Dynasty and during the Yuan Dynasty was a monetary garden for a Dahong Temple. Nowadays, the garden has more of a Qing appearance with pavilions and bridges connecting islands. Humble Administrators Garden is a great representation of a public garden. In Suzhou City, there is nearly 200 gardens, each with their own delicate design, structure, layout and style with ponds and hills, towers and corridors all arranged in a harmonious manner.  Other gardens worth visiting are the Lingering Garden, the Lion Grove Garden and the Surging Waves Pavilion.

Suzhou Welcome You

Overall, our trip to Suzhou resembled a photo taking workshop as all of us are into taking photos and in Suzhou there is just no chance to put away your camera. It is surrounded by great architecture, and the nature and local people also provide interesting subjects for photos. In our group we had professional photographers, so for me it was a great opportunity to improve my skills and learn.

Special Suzhou cuisine was introduced to us by local authorities at fantastic lunches and dinners. We also had the chance to listen to a local opera in one of local Tea Houses as well.

To me, visiting Suzhou was a significant experience which helped me to understand more about Chinese culture, and so fittingly it was an "eye opening experience". Quite a number of young people can speak English, which makes your journey rather smooth and comfortable. Suzhou is famous for the saying: "Gardens to the south of Yangze River are the best in China, and the Suzhou gardens are even better" and I think this is very true. Suzhou is a modern city and also has a unique traditional charm. You can take a boat through the canals, visit historical temples and gardens and if you desire you can stay in the luxury of a 4 star hotel with only 60 US D overnight. And if you still have enough strength at the end of the day, you can visit the local bar street and choose between a foreign style bar or traditional Chinese tea houses with local opera.