Suzhou, a stunning water town, is known as the ‘Venice of China.’ The city’s canals, pagodas, bridges and unique gardens have marked it as a top tourist destination. One of these famous canal-woven spots is Shantang Street (山塘街). This National 4A Scenic Spot is considered the epitome of old Suzhou, and a window into Wu culture. Through the white-washed buildings, black roofs and red lanterns peering over the canals, you can glimpse into China’s past and rich culture. Shantang Street is also filled with interesting shops and adorable looking snacks. It’s a must visit when you are in Suzhou!
The Humble Administrator’s Garden (拙政园) located in the Northeast Street of Suzhou is a historic structure worth visiting in Jiangsu. With covering an area of over 52,000 square meters, it is the largest private garden in Suzhou. Many local gardens imitated its layout, hence the Humble Administrator’s Garden also enjoys a reputation as the “Mother of Chinese Gardens”. Being the most representative architecture of the
The Hanshan Temple (寒山寺) located in Gusu District is one of Suzhou’s greatest landmarks and most active Buddhist temples. Built during the Liang Dynasty (502-519), this 1500-year-old temple is named after the abbot Hanshan. The temple complex, with black roof tiles and yellow walls, draws a sharp contrast with the green pine and cypress trees that surround it, presenting visitors a contrary yet harmoniously beautiful view. Its pagoda used to be Suzhou’s tallest building in ancient times, now it’s a wonderful place to appreciate the picturesque old city from a bird’s eye-view.
Tongli, located in Wujiang District of Suzhou, is a tranquil water town sharing the same nickname “Venice of the East” as Zhouzhuang. This ancient town is famous for its profound cultural background and well-preserved residential buildings from Ming and Qing Dynasties. Visitors can either ride a boat on the river or take a walk on the old stone bridges to appreciate the distinctive waterview. Not only being a National 5A Scenic Area itself, inside the water town, the Tuisi Garden (退思园) is also selected by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site, making Tongli a must-visit place when traveling in Jiangsu.
The Lion Grove Garden, situated on No.23 Yuanlin Road in Suzhou, was built in 1342 during the Yuan Dynasty. The garden is most famous for the large grotto of Taihu rocks at its center and derived its name from the lion-shaped stones. Together with eight other classical gardens in Suzhou, the Lion Grove Garden is selected by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site to represent the development of traditional Chinese landscape design. It is also enlisted in the National 4A Scenic Area, making it the must-see sight in Jiangsu.
