Travel in China

Suzhou is a city famed for its ancient culture with a history of more than 2,500 years and a population of 630,000.
The city was first constructed by King He Lu (?--496 B.C.) of the state of Wu during the Spring and Autumn Period (770--476 B.C.), built with eight land gates and eight water gates. During the Qin (220--207 B.C.) it was made the seat of Huiji Prefecture; in the Sui (581--618), it was named Suzhou (after the mountain Gusu); in the Song (960--1279) it was known as Pingjiang; and during the early Ming (1368--1644), it was called Suzhou Prefecture.

Located in a rich and fertile water country south of the Yangtze River, Suzhou is known for its beauty and garden construction. To show this is the famous saying that "though there is paradise in Heaven, there is as yet no comparison to the beauty of Suzhou and Hangzhou". Crisscrossed by rivers,, Suzhou claims the fame as the "Venice" of the East in the world.

Exquisite, small and superblyconstructed gardens distributed throughout Suzhou has also earned it the fame as the "City of Gardens".
Elegant and graceful gardens show the characteristics of ancient garden architecture in South China. Hence the saying:"South China has the best gardens under Heaven, but Suzhou leads South China in garden architecture".

As evidence of this are many old gardens and scenic attractions still well preserved, such as the Tiger Hill, Cool Hill Temple, Lingering Garden, Humble Administrator's Garden, Fisherman's Garden, Lion Garden, Happiness Gardens, Pavilion of Surging Waves, etc.

Everyday brings Suzhou hundreds of Chinese and foreign visitors by tourism. There are the Suzhou Hotel, Nanlin Hotel, Gusu Hotel and others to serve the city's tourism. Trains help make direct trips to Beijing, Tianjin, Shenyang, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Fuzhou, Xi'an, Chengdu and other Chinese cities. Direct flights are also arranged between Suzhou and Beijing.

Suzhou is world famous for its embroideries and sandalwood fans among its many arts and crafts, along with Yixing's pottery and Wuxi's clay figurines. Suzhou is favoured by a warm pleasant climate and plenty of rainfall.