Tour Suzhou

Suzhou
Just as the Chinese saying goes, “Up there is Heaven, down here Suzhou and Hangzhou.”The long history of Suzhou City has left behind many attractive scenic spots and historical sites with beautiful and interesting legends. The elegant classical gardens, the old - fashioned houses and delicate bridges hanging over flowing waters in the drizzling rain, the beautiful lakes with undulating hills in lush green, the numerous scenic spots and historical sites, and the exquisite arts and crafts, etc. have made Suzhou a renowned historical and cultural city full of eternal and poetic charm.. Suzhou is best known for its gardens: Humble Administrator's Garden，Lingering Garden, the Surging Wave Pavilion, and the Master of Nets Garden. These gardens weave together the best of traditional Chinese architecture, painting and arts. Suzhou, the ancient city, rich in its natural and man resources, has been praised as "a paradise on earth" since ancient times. It becomes more and more attractive. So bring your bag and come to visit this amazing land.

Humble Administrator's Garden
The beautiful waterside City of Suzhou in Jiangsu Province in South China is most famous for its elegant classical gardens. Among these, the Humble Administrator's Garden, Covering 51,950 sq.m,the Humble Administrator's Garden is the largest of all classical gardens in Suzhou . Due to its unique designs and ethereal beauty, the garden has garnered many special honors. It is listed as a World Cultural Heritage site and has also been designated as one of the Cultural Relics of National Importance under the Protection of the State as well as a Special Tourist Attraction of China. In recent years, the Humble Administrator's Garden has been the site of many floral exhibitions. Every spring and summer, the garden hosts the Azalea Festival and the Lotus Festival. There are bonsai shows in the aptly named Bonsai Garden (Penjing Yuan) in the Western Section while precious Chinese stones are shown in the Elegant Stone House (Yashi Zhai) in the Central Section. After touring the garden, you may want to visit Lion Grove Garden, a famous classical garden of a different style. Also, there are many museums nearby if you want to more deeply explore the gardening techniques and customs of Suzhou.

Lingering Garden
One of the four renowned gardens in Suzhou, Liuyuan, or Lingering Garden, was first built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and was rebuilt by a Qing official. Its Taihu Lake rocks boost its reputation both at home and abroad. The core of the two-hectare garden is a pond, with hills to the northwest and buildings to the southeast responsible for a good many of the contrasting effects. The eastern section features mainly halls and courtyards. The imposing Wufengxian (Five-Peak immortals) Hall is the largest hall of all the Suzhou gardens. The western section is dotted with vegetation whereas the northern section is reminiscent of a peaceful countryside. The Lingering Garden was listed from the first as cultural relics of national importance in 1961. With an area of 23,310 sq.m,it is celebrated for its artistic way of dealing with the spaces between various kinds of architectural form.Buildings make up one third of the total area of the garden,the hall of which being the most remarkable in Suzhou . So what are waiting for?You can come here and walk around by yourself.

Grand Canal
The Grand Canal, or the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal, was a giant irrigation project of ancient China. With a history of over 1,400 years and a length of 1,794 kilometers, it is one of the world's oldest canals and is the longest man-made river in the world. The canal goes from Tongxian County, Beijing in the north to Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang Province in the south. It flows to Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and connects five large rivers---the Haihe, Yellow, Huaihe, and Qiantang and Yangtze River. In the late Spring and Autumn Period in the 5th century B.C., a canal was first cut near Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, to guide the waters of the Yangtze River to the north. This was lengthened first during the Sui Dynasty of the 7th century, and finally during the Yuan Dynasty of 13th century, to become what has been known as the Grand Canal. The Grand Canal was the major transport artery between north and south China during the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, contributing greatly to the economic and cultural exchange between north and south.Owing to the development of the maritime transport between north and south and the opening of the Tianjin-Pukou and Beijing -Hankou railways after the mid-19th century, the role of the Grand Canal was greatly reduced and many sections of it fell into disrepair or became choked with mud. Except for the section in Shandong which is only partly serviceable, many other sections are navigable in some of the seasons while the 800-kilomerer stretch from Jiangsu to Zhejiang open to year-round shipping.Just come here and you feel the Chinese history culture by yourself.

Tiger Hill
Lying to the west of the ancient city of Suzhou with a history of over 2,500 years, the Tiger Hill has the reputation of being No.1 Sight of the Wu region. "It would be a loss if you miss the Tiger Hill in your visit to Suzhou," said the Song poet Su Dongpo. There are three ideal vantage points and nine different ways of enjoying the sights of the hill under nine different weather conditions. Though only 36 meters in height, the hill impresses the visitor with its sheer cliffs and deep ravines normally found in famous mountains. The Sword Pond conceals the secrets of the Tomb of King Wu with his valuable swords. At the top of the hill stands the Learning Tower of Suzhou, a brick pagoda dating from the 2nd year of Jianlong reign of the Northern Song Dynasty and serving as the landmark of the ancient city. The 36-meter-tall Huqiu (Tiger Hill) stands outside the lumen Gate to the northwest of Suzhou. It was where the King of the State of Wu( a small state in the Spring and Autumn Periods over thousands of years ago) Fu Chai, buried his father-Helu along with 3,000 swords. Legend has it that on the third day after the burial, a white tiger appeared to guard the tomb, hence the name of the hill. The Yunyan Temple,the key attraction on the hill, is one of the most famous Buddhist land in this part of China. Even Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty could not resist its peaceful ambience so he decided to make the temple his temporary residence during his Suzhou trip.What about you?Can you resisit that?

Master-of-Nets Garden
You may not believe,sometimes the smallest package can contain the most magnificent gift. The Master-of-Nets Garden is a clear example of this. The Master-of-Nets Garden is the smallest of the Suzhou residential gardens, yet it is the most impressive because of its use of space which creates the illusion of an area that is much greater than its actual size. Even more than the architectural achievement is the mood of tranquility and harmony that this humble garden embodies. This exquisite garden was first designed during the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279) as part of a residence that was used until the Taiping Rebellion in the 1860's. It was later restored and became the residence of a government official from whom the garden got its name. As you walk about the gardens and along the walkways, there are often views through windows onto beautiful flowers or plants framing them from a distance and drawing you to a single sight, a moment of peaceful natural beauty. As you walk through the buildings, it is easy to imagine the life that the original residents lived in a feudal society where these gardens were solely for their pleasure and the pleasure of their guests.So just come to visit and feel it in person.