rator’s Garden

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While not strand mar ger Hill(hu qiu) is another famed spot for to He Lu the ruler of the ancient Wu Kingdom. He Lu was renowned for the quality of the swords he commissioned; supposedly, he was buried with 3,000 of them. Later rulers, not wanting to pass up on some freebies, excavated his tomb in search of the swords.

In addition to a garden, Tiger Hill features a number of ancient tombs and historic sites. Its top is crowned by the ancient Yunyan Pagoda(yun yansi ta), which happens to be slightly off centered.

In Suzhou’ s southwest is Pan Gat Scenturgte (pan men ) the only remaining city gate. The gate dates back to the 12th century and is built over Suzhou’s former moat. Good photo opportunities abound from the top of the gate.

The intricate task of creating Suzhou’s famed silk embroidery.

Shiquanjie offersupalot of handicrafts, arts and antique shopping opportunities. Many fine restaurants can also be found here. This street has become very popular with resident foreigners in Suzhou as well as many of the more upscale locals. It’s a bustling and busy place. At night it becomes something of a live-wire district with its many popular dance clubs booming techno music into the street. Shiquan Jie has a lot to offer for many different tastes, but do be sure to step back into one of the small lanes that intersect it during the daytime and head toward the canal. If you pick the right spots you will find some very picturesque scenes of the old houses fronting the canal.

Exploring the Bonsai garden in the Humble Administrator’s Garden.

Sitting on an old stone bridge and watching the boats on the canals drift by.

Wandering the seemingly infinite labyrinths of small lanes in the old parts of town.

About12.4 miles(20km) from Suzhou is the quiet village of Tongli(tongli).If Suzhou is too large for your tastes, Tongli is a great place to relax. A typical water village(shuixiang), Tongli’s’ architecture is mix of Ming and Qing styles. Set on the rich Yangtze River basin, Tongli is the realization of pastoral Chinese poems and paintings of rustic villages criss-crossed with canals and bridges This charming village features over 40 arched bridges and numerous temples and preserved homes.

Taihu(taihu), one of China’s’ largest freshwater lakes, is short hop away from Suzhou. The lake has blessed the area around Suzhou with fertile land and water agriculture and aquaculture have been major industries for centuries. Surrounding the lake are 72 statuesque peaks; the best place to see them up close is at Xi Shan Scenic Area (xishan fengjingqu). During the early spring the hills are covered with plum blossoms that cover the ground with their light pedals. Over at Shigong is where the craggy Taihu rocks are gathered. These rocks are featured in every self-respecting Chinese garden and have been exported as far as the Forbidden City in Beijing.