Heritage: The Classical Gardens of Suzhou

There has always been a level of elegance, grace and romance in Suzhou that few cities can rival, and its many gardens and canals lend Suzhou air of unmatched sophistication.

For more than 2,,500 years, old Suzhou’s architecture and scenery has impressed visitors enchanting them with moonlit walks along the canals through the perfume of osmanthus wers. Time and progress haven’t erased that past. During the Tang dynasty, the Grand Canal (da yunhe linked Suzhou to the rest of the empire. The canth continues to feed an enormous network of smaller canals that penetrate every part of the city.er life’s deep inner meaning.( yuan) Water physically and culturally defines Suzhou.

The seemingly infinite maze of canals gave rise to an efficient raortation network, wealth of picturesque scenery an ern Chinese Jiangnan style. Nearby rivers and lakes yielded a bounty of fish and shellfish that still dominate the local cuisine. Aquatic images abound and if you travel the canals by boat, your guide may treat you to a rowing song that has remained unchanged for centuries. and renown comes from its beautiful and ingeniou lly the most prized of Chinese treasures, silk. Suzhou was an early center of silk duction and remains so to this day.

The city and surrounding countryside are still thick with the mulberry trees that feed the silkworms. The silk trade cought wealth, but Suzhou’s real mark was made by its embroidery. Suzhou silk embroidery brot is a true marvel on a screen of sheer silk, artists using silk thread finer than a human hair create detailed images on both sides of the fabric, deftly hiding all the knots between the pictures. Visitors to Suzhou can see this painstaking work being done in many local shops. The Suzhou Silk Museum(suzhou sichou bowuguan) is also good place to learn more about silk production and they have interesting displays detailing each step of the silk making process.

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